24 things we should be more grateful for

Makes ya think...

24 things we should be more grateful for

a pep talk

I found this on my friend Martha's blog.  It is precious and simply inspiring.  Enjoy!

(healthy) sesame chicken skillet

photo c/o how sweet it is

I don't usually make Asian themed dinners because they rarely turn out well.  I decided to give this one a try because it looked pretty simple and it's healthy.  We LOVED it!  It tastes like something you would get in an Asian restaurant, which is how I measure my success.  It's easy, healthy and super tasty.  You should try it!  Here's the recipe.

elvis quote

found here

That's from my favorite Elvis song, the song that made me fall in love with him :)

today

Today when I got in my car it was 6 degrees.  That's right, 6 degrees.  When you factor in the windchill it was -9 degrees.  That just ain't right.  So yeah, it's been pretty stinkin cold around here, which brings me to my next point...

Remember when I said I made mason jar salads last week?  Well I did them again this week but chose a different salad.  The one I chose was a poppyseed dressing salad which contains a lot of fruit as well as veggies.  I don't know if you are well aware but berries and pineapple are not exactly in season around here right now and cost a pretty penny.  But when I went to the store on Sunday I was determined to buy the stuff for the salad even though it was getting pretty costly but all in the name of health, right?  I mean, I'm embarrassed to admit that the blueberries were around $5 and same with the pineapple and strawberries.  BUT  it was all worth it when I ate my salad at lunch today!  As I mentioned, it is unbearably cold here today but when I was eating my salad I was thinking how delicious assorted berries taste and how great summertime is.  This salad tastes like summertime.  And if you need a little warm weather food to remember that winter is not forever, I'll share the salad line up with you, layer it in the jar as listed (or just toss it together in a bowl and eat immediately):

-poppyseed dressing
-carrot shreds
-green peas
-pineapple
-blueberries
-raspberries (I used strawberries instead.  And I added craisins because I have like a million of them.)
-lettuce


(recipe taken from: my not-so-simple life)

quote

great question

found here

MLK Jr. quote

If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.

Martin Luther King Jr.

congratulations, Pam!

It's taken me a few months to post about this (and for that I am really sorry) but my sweet friend from college, Pamela, is engaged!!  Her fiance John asked her in the fall and they are getting married this May in NYC!!  I'm so happy for them and I'm really looking forward to their big day!! Congratulations!!!!

(I borrowed the picture from her Facebook account, {thanks Pam!} and had to enlarge it a bit, sorry it's blurry.  Isn't that a beautiful ring?!)

lately

I've spent my three day weekend watching this: 

I'M OBSESSED!

I watched the first season on Netflix months ago and my mother-in-law lent me the second season (which I'm happy to say I blew through in about a week and a half) and now I'm onto the third (current) season!  This show really is amazing, there's so much going on.  I love it!  I love all of the manners and how things were done a certain way, how people still dressed up really nicely for dinners, all of it.  And I have this funny habit of adapting the dialect of the book I'm currently reading or show I'm watching.  So in my head I'm speaking with an English accent and trying really hard not to use it out loud since my impersonation of an English accent is awful (but in my head it's perfect).  So yeah, that's what has been happening around here lately.

look what i made last week

Here's some new food items I made last week and thought I would share with y'all: 

Mason Jar Salads

This is a great way to get a delicious and nutritious salad each day.  However, you will need to set aside time to make them once a week and make sure you have enough room in your fridge for 5-7 mason jars (depending on how many you want to make).  I made the Asian salad last week and they were fresh the whole week through and so tasty.  This week I'm trying the poppyseed/fruit salad.  I was so excited about my end product that I took a picture:

 

And I made these for a sweet treat, which I ended up taking to a social thing because Lord knows we didn't need them all at our house.  Man, are they delicious!

No Bake Peanut Butter S'mores Squares

quote

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

quote

One of the secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others.

Lewis Carroll

winter=lots of book reading

Something about this season makes me want to read books more than usual.  I'm thinking it's probably the cold weather (although today it was weirdly 65 degrees but rest assured that by Monday it will be in the 30s again).  This weather (today not included) makes me not want to leave my house and just stay bundled up in a little nest of blankets on my couch reading a good book.  Which brings me to my book reviews, here's some of the books I've been reading the past couple of months:

Very interesting book!  If you know someone with Asperger Syndrome or if you know nothing about it and want to learn what it looks like in someone's day to day life, this is a great book to read.  The author is extremely humble and candid while sharing what it's like being diagnosed with Asperger's as an adult.  Like I said, very, very interesting.  Definitely recommend.

When I got this book I thought it was going to be a light-hearted cutesy book and that it is not.  It's a dark book.  It's a good book, but I kept reading and waiting for it to be cute and funny, and that part doesn't come.  It's basically about a woman who is terrified of turning 30 and not just in an "oh no, I'm turning 30" but in a "my life is literally going to end when I turn 30".  During the book she keeps having flashbacks of people using and abusing her throughout her entire life.  That's the dark part.  There were a few times when I had to put the book down and take a breather.  But if you're into books that aren't always cutesy with happy endings then you should give this one a try.

This book was great!  I love learning about people's lives so naturally I enjoy biographies and autobiographies and this one did not disappoint.  The only thing I knew about Penny Marshall was that she played Laverne on Laverne & Shirley.  I didn't know that she grew up in the Bronx, had a baby in college, later dated Art Garfunkel, starred in numerous TV shows/movies/theater performances, director many famous movies, battled cancer, among a ton of other things.  This woman is hilarious, honest and a great writer.  I really enjoyed reading her life story and recommend this book.

Oh my goodness, y'all know I love reading Amish fiction so it was no surprise to me that this book was amazing!  Jodi Picoult is a truly gifted author and an incredible storyteller.  I mean it was really hard for me to put this book down!  The story begins with a dead baby found in an Amish barn and an Amish teen is suspected to be the mother and murderer.  It goes through all of the pre-trial things (technical terms here :) and the trial itself.  I know that's not even a good description but this book is really, really great and I highly recommend it!  It's one of the best books I've read in a long time, honest :)

This book was good, not great, but good.  It's a movie now and apparently up for a lot of Oscars.  I can definitely see this being a really good movie.  It's an easy read, I think it took me 2-3 nights to finish it.  If you're curious to see the movie and want to read the book first, I'd suggest that.  Here's a summary of the book.

Great book!  Again, Picoult is an amazing storyteller and had me captivated throughout the book.  This book is interesting in that it makes you think a lot about your stances on: same-sex marriage, same-sex couples being able to adopt, infertility issues and treatments and embryo adoption.  Stuff you may or may not think about on a daily basis.  I really enjoyed it and recommend it!

quote

We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets.

Marilyn Monroe

christmas eve

Yes, I know this is like a month late but here's some pictures from Christmas Eve.  The first ones are when we returned from the church service and the rest are Christmas PJ pics :)

me and my girls

husband :)

my sweet parents

Katie and her boo

(By the way, I was dying laughing while taking this picture, we all were.  I think this is the only one out of like 10 that wasn't blurry because I was shaking from laughing so hard. My sister is hilarious y'all.)

girls in their matching jammies, tradition y'all

McKayla (Katie) is not impressed

Lail fam

sisters in front of the Christmas tree, so sweet

i made John pose for this :)

camera stealer, per use

quote

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

quote

love this. (found here)

quote

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.

R. Fuller

5 ways to slow down in 2013

Great article.

5 ways to slow down in 2013

happy new year, y'all

The New Year is one of my least favorite holidays.  To me, it's very sad because it means Christmas is officially over and I feel like yet another year has come and gone.  In fact, I painted my nails black last night because I felt like it was fitting for my attitude.  Not really.  They were black, but it was mostly because they matched my outfit (black jeans, gold sparkly top) but maybe a little had to do with my mood.  However, this was actually a good New Year's, it was the first time that we spent it with friends in Pittsburgh.  We were able to go to two different parties last night and ring in the new year surrounded by friends and for that I am thankful.  So I'm going to try and be super positive and look at this new year as a good thing.  2013 should be bringing some big things y'all!! (No, I'm not pregnant...I know you were thinking that.)  Here's to a happy, wonderful, love filled, exciting year!!  2013, you better not disappoint!

christmas party (lail style)

My family was sweet enough to throw a Christmas party while I was in town so that we could all mingle with some friends.  Everything was perfect!  The food, the decorations, the company...it couldn't have been better!  Thanks to Mom, Dad and Katie for all of the time, money and effort y'all put into creating that night, I loved every minute of it!  Here's some pics from the event...

college and high school friends (Paula, Morgan, Allison, me, Dina and Teresa)

they love John :)

the Kelly's, y'all

me and Sterling (Katie's bestie since elementary school)

Meghan (one of Katie's other besties), me, Katie and Sterling

all the way from Dallas y'all...Paula!!

my sweet Dina

me and Teresa, goofy as usual :)

Morgan and me 

my Allicat :)

 

Katie sandwich

Katie, me, Katy (one of my best friends growing up)