tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11127051904269654592024-03-21T15:29:33.105-05:00...Noticed My Heartabby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.comBlogger868125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-63492621863519377052017-01-12T23:28:00.002-06:002017-01-12T23:28:14.259-06:00I've moved... websites!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XbZ32rOTODxKL5ooQE1SRzp72LZMHOtJ908wJQvLshpFQ4LflFCm_jW5YUdtEVtfipsrHNwjlhtxMTbjRCxFnIqqi8Q_grS5dC1578cwogmgvb09xgDjPwAPzUxLd3uvzFtUDurTRZpD/s1600/53448078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XbZ32rOTODxKL5ooQE1SRzp72LZMHOtJ908wJQvLshpFQ4LflFCm_jW5YUdtEVtfipsrHNwjlhtxMTbjRCxFnIqqi8Q_grS5dC1578cwogmgvb09xgDjPwAPzUxLd3uvzFtUDurTRZpD/s400/53448078.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>(Don't judge the picture... I didn't know what else to put!)</i></div>
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I've moved to a different site!<br />
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Hope on over to <a href="http://www.noticedmyheart.com/">www.noticedmyheart.com</a> to keep reading... See you over there!abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-41168246453605574032016-12-28T14:06:00.003-06:002016-12-28T14:06:20.285-06:0010 Things You Should Register ForWe are two months into our marriage and two months into using all of the things we received as wedding gifts and as I was using my Magic Bullet today I thought, "Man, this is great - everyone should register for one of these." So I thought I'd give a list of ten items that we actually use and love on a regular basis that I'd recommend people register for. Here goes nothing...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7KTaXSFdX_pLi-epZCeuuG15bCsyiERQzRXD0uZdIrClkBnt93feIvbaTpz_1IKrYmnNlcrvJjv_3kEfT72hkIlNGciJotYUK0qLZleu4Ql7s-wt05PUXS2ACF35kXwnhtZCzDCGbJHw/s1600/81as4hEGEgL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7KTaXSFdX_pLi-epZCeuuG15bCsyiERQzRXD0uZdIrClkBnt93feIvbaTpz_1IKrYmnNlcrvJjv_3kEfT72hkIlNGciJotYUK0qLZleu4Ql7s-wt05PUXS2ACF35kXwnhtZCzDCGbJHw/s400/81as4hEGEgL._SL1500_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
1. <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Bullet-MBR-1701-17-Piece-Express/dp/B001WAKFDY">Magic Bullet</a>. </b>Smoothies, milkshakes, I'm sure there are more things it makes... The Magic Bullet is super quick and easy and can be thrown in the dishwasher which is awesome. We've been loving the smoothies we've been making for a quick and healthy breakfast.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMhwZ3B-tkxJGnNw8Zs1b2Q63OgWlmp8Kv6KN0Vpn4dg1HmZTER6fLBZ-_zYZLlRbRI8JABMx-mOH6pHCJvUVyZA2IBJe35-9Uh5UOf1lbGu-VJH4BqLgTekfwBebtD7qmlfIFlcW24hM/s1600/16977054.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMhwZ3B-tkxJGnNw8Zs1b2Q63OgWlmp8Kv6KN0Vpn4dg1HmZTER6fLBZ-_zYZLlRbRI8JABMx-mOH6pHCJvUVyZA2IBJe35-9Uh5UOf1lbGu-VJH4BqLgTekfwBebtD7qmlfIFlcW24hM/s400/16977054.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
2. <b><a href="http://www.target.com/p/cast-iron-dutch-oven-6-qt-threshold/-/A-16977094">Dutch oven</a></b>. It's been my life long dream to own a Le Creuset dutch oven. Ok, maybe not life long... but I couldn't bring myself to register for a $200+ pot (essentially) so instead we registered for the $50 dutch oven at Target. I use this thing all. the. time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0ftspDNsyBv5uKA2rs1Ne41kUPyViF2_a6Lug9HJIlCDK4mo8Y8at26IPfm8SBjyDMGeHPqKXLTIi29Fjt2002RcOKHhtDQULim26IeDHGk1KONqJhAl_t63AKZc_ehQiLJMfXBUlWWL/s1600/57656843944576p.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0ftspDNsyBv5uKA2rs1Ne41kUPyViF2_a6Lug9HJIlCDK4mo8Y8at26IPfm8SBjyDMGeHPqKXLTIi29Fjt2002RcOKHhtDQULim26IeDHGk1KONqJhAl_t63AKZc_ehQiLJMfXBUlWWL/s400/57656843944576p.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
3. <a href="http://www.target.com/p/simplehuman-studio-38-liter-rectangular-step-trash-can-in-brushed-stainless-steel-with-plastic-lid/-/A-10251614?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Storage+Organization+Shopping_Brand&adgroup=SC_Storage+Organization&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9023184&gclid=Cj0KEQiA4o3DBRCJsZqh8vWqt_8BEiQA2Fw0eSEvOwUQ52Gr4TzNuRta7wIMJSYlCH7LE5Odp8oJJo0aAkPq8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds"><b>Fancy trash can</b></a>. I'm not sure why we love this little guy so much - but we love our Simple Human trash can. Trash cans are expensive anyway - so it's kind of one of those "go big or go home" kind of things.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrYEshm5LaKxq9ZZsw-gKsR56DqgF3XsNH412mQ4ox6BzOXf6J1W-9ChM0vp3uCU8WnatrPWxb1es3pkjSjUt4WMFH-m-7T8yRtNRYS4ogxv1sGWE2pBT0klDop584h1oDrKJCd2t1t-O/s1600/14181045.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrYEshm5LaKxq9ZZsw-gKsR56DqgF3XsNH412mQ4ox6BzOXf6J1W-9ChM0vp3uCU8WnatrPWxb1es3pkjSjUt4WMFH-m-7T8yRtNRYS4ogxv1sGWE2pBT0klDop584h1oDrKJCd2t1t-O/s400/14181045.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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4. <a href="http://www.target.com/p/pyrex-19-piece-bake-and-store-set-clear/-/A-14181045"><b>Pyrex set</b></a>. Josh is anti-microwaving plastic so he wanted glass tupperware. These are used just about every day in our home and apparently we are avoiding cancer with the glass!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QjkFreELYsFBkblcjXpI6K2UWhaiiK0hnkN5DdyfUXACIgW5zHDI6dc3rnwJ5uo5BPKmBQhxqNLZ9HfLtenIRGaxPxOSbz2NIz7Go7Ou0KSe6EDNDfVvZq0bBBEA8CpUDn-2eLZKcp5W/s1600/13130422.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QjkFreELYsFBkblcjXpI6K2UWhaiiK0hnkN5DdyfUXACIgW5zHDI6dc3rnwJ5uo5BPKmBQhxqNLZ9HfLtenIRGaxPxOSbz2NIz7Go7Ou0KSe6EDNDfVvZq0bBBEA8CpUDn-2eLZKcp5W/s400/13130422.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
5. <b><a href="http://www.target.com/p/cosco-2-step-all-aluminum-stool/-/A-13130422?lnk=rec|pdpipadh1|related_prods_vv|pdpipadh1|13130422|3">Step ladder. </a></b>This may seem like a silly item - but we've busted this guy out more often than I would have thought. Christmas decorating... Smoke detector battery changing... It comes in handy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7AxCzJY4opmFgCFvE_hShbRoJP1jYRg6tSgncKPZBXjnRVAFzdsbEJolp1ac8_0MmNJp41mHfs3Iyclbpro61A2IuHGIdJ0iwsMseLeZFy7qhokI4RCN_iqbtdFq1UJTzqL5F8GBtA2b/s1600/61lpxVU-NLL._SL1027_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7AxCzJY4opmFgCFvE_hShbRoJP1jYRg6tSgncKPZBXjnRVAFzdsbEJolp1ac8_0MmNJp41mHfs3Iyclbpro61A2IuHGIdJ0iwsMseLeZFy7qhokI4RCN_iqbtdFq1UJTzqL5F8GBtA2b/s400/61lpxVU-NLL._SL1027_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
6. <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Contemporary-Cutlery-Knife-17-Piece/dp/B006672E82">A nice knife set.</a> </b>Someone told us, "Don't register for a knife set that is less than $200." Felt a little pricey for me but I'm glad we didn't settle for a cheaper one. These knives have been great. (Fun fact that I just realized as I was searching this - these were $200 at <a href="https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/calphalon-reg-contemporary-17-piece-knife-block-set/1014710264">Bed, Bath, and Beyond </a>but $118 on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Contemporary-Cutlery-Knife-17-Piece/dp/B006672E82">Amazon</a>... Sounds like if you need some knives, you should go for it on Amazon.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfWu6nF44EFHNTVp0R1gyYdN5fLxkuSx2BmsmSlhjIMZiHvmONIj1PHx03LkLuwRxKegQh9Q_LWVhSM2T0P2PuBpnCqNgSmViRLgnhrt9sy5oG74e2xAsJTqffWHKw9cDdQazfjS6iei9/s1600/71Lwz%252BvR0HL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfWu6nF44EFHNTVp0R1gyYdN5fLxkuSx2BmsmSlhjIMZiHvmONIj1PHx03LkLuwRxKegQh9Q_LWVhSM2T0P2PuBpnCqNgSmViRLgnhrt9sy5oG74e2xAsJTqffWHKw9cDdQazfjS6iei9/s400/71Lwz%252BvR0HL._SL1500_.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
7. <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DBM-8-Supreme-Grind-Automatic/dp/B00018RRRK">Coffee grinder.</a></b> We got quite a few coffee gadgets for the wedding but I've got to say that this burr mill wins the prize. If you are into freshly ground beans - this is the thing for you. (Another fun fact - this one is cheaper on Amazon, too. Note to self (or you - because I don't plan on getting married and registering again) - register at Amazon, not Bed, Bath, and Beyond.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOp_axIpwjsf_UcH8H0Zfm6UnmcfWsrkph64seEtpIBOwHbOxsw-naDb0nysc-Tj5ahyPq2ZPV3ARRrGoALhTCvh8D_diqIUVnroEZzneSF2j-n3NXv_ylI6Ml7lp_lEIaRybVB4Az8Ua7/s1600/31s0uBSXbVL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOp_axIpwjsf_UcH8H0Zfm6UnmcfWsrkph64seEtpIBOwHbOxsw-naDb0nysc-Tj5ahyPq2ZPV3ARRrGoALhTCvh8D_diqIUVnroEZzneSF2j-n3NXv_ylI6Ml7lp_lEIaRybVB4Az8Ua7/s400/31s0uBSXbVL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
8. <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Stainless-Ratcheting-Pineapple-Slicer/dp/B007WTGR90">Pineapple slicer.</a></b> From talking to others, there are good pineapple slicers and bad pineapple slicers. We believe we've found a good one because we love ours. If you like pineapple - this is worth the $20.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oBXDCwwSeIwFo84s5TQ4gmszBHzOFuLTKFL5sgugqr22KLs6DqrQblwcvC9avgVR81c9_46bhUPdEcc8-loNPCLz9P6rstzl9JFSy9Q_eAPVSZauD-UpX34r7KZyOI7atESHYEC6AA5O/s1600/41gSKwFq0%252BL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oBXDCwwSeIwFo84s5TQ4gmszBHzOFuLTKFL5sgugqr22KLs6DqrQblwcvC9avgVR81c9_46bhUPdEcc8-loNPCLz9P6rstzl9JFSy9Q_eAPVSZauD-UpX34r7KZyOI7atESHYEC6AA5O/s400/41gSKwFq0%252BL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
9. <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Milk-Frother-By-Mixpresso-Coffee/dp/B00YFBGRIY">Milk frother.</a></b> This is a luxury item and probably will lose its cool factor in the next few months and we'll find it in the back of our cabinet in 10 years and be like, "Remember when we used to use this all the time? I wonder if it still works..." But for now... For now, we really are enjoying frothed milk with our coffee.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKZ6kUV-xVtL87tRS34xKHVf-ICWGdJnhRRB2_GOAm-U-S887soLuu7vx-ZriUmwDE8e68tlSa2lQmnyqCrQN8QT8FNLtbuDkHqZ8t619_gamUTXvD1AfkfJDe3toy65ULFFte7djoKcG/s1600/8105MEIneWL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKZ6kUV-xVtL87tRS34xKHVf-ICWGdJnhRRB2_GOAm-U-S887soLuu7vx-ZriUmwDE8e68tlSa2lQmnyqCrQN8QT8FNLtbuDkHqZ8t619_gamUTXvD1AfkfJDe3toy65ULFFte7djoKcG/s400/8105MEIneWL._SL1500_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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10. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KSM150PSER-Artisan-Tilt-Head-Pouring/dp/B001AZU51S?th=1"><b>Kitchenaid mixer.</b></a> This is another one of those things that I thought was too expensive to put on our registry even though I really wanted a new one. We have some good friends that asked Josh, "What does Abby <i>really</i> want?" and Josh told them a new Kitchenaid mixer. So that's what I got! They even let me pick out the color. If you know me, you aren't surprised that I chose yellow...<br />
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Alright, that's all I've got. Have I mentioned that I love making lists? This list making may have just made my day... What else can I make a list for?abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-70912930265837733852016-12-27T10:40:00.000-06:002016-12-28T14:07:33.117-06:00Loving Lately.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBJOnXp0jdNcKUrxQ_CE_rIIHunU7TdLaiUwoYE-vku7vG753q-mBWXy_1NCFYpYOheGniN376jLJgPubToa9X7IHz7s7MA5GVrSNJGK8TRt41mJUGWkWuMCmiVPKT30LtGLhfec1AG0E/s1600/IMG_2140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBJOnXp0jdNcKUrxQ_CE_rIIHunU7TdLaiUwoYE-vku7vG753q-mBWXy_1NCFYpYOheGniN376jLJgPubToa9X7IHz7s7MA5GVrSNJGK8TRt41mJUGWkWuMCmiVPKT30LtGLhfec1AG0E/s400/IMG_2140.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Draft of a Christmas present I made for Josh)</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-kerning: none;">If you would have asked the Abby from three months ago if she’d be reading blogs and making grocery lists all work-day long… she would have laughed in your face then probably started crying because she was so stressed. Yet, here I am… I really don’t have much profound to say (today… or ever…) But I decided I’d give a “Currently” post a try... of things I’m loving lately. Maybe we’ll call it Loving Lately… Here it is.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUawA-fiVXC8pLpWWie3yFG2SqePkINq4Dyhs4XddavFojqaDFIRbkguqzc-28O4G9RLQ4us1V-_3FWZS71mjTN4j8-M3WchRXLHuqhxx_GHL4VRHG6Kz2GFj5F9HvIUYxKqkI666fZ8Bz/s1600/Easy-and-Smooth-Hummus-Recipe-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUawA-fiVXC8pLpWWie3yFG2SqePkINq4Dyhs4XddavFojqaDFIRbkguqzc-28O4G9RLQ4us1V-_3FWZS71mjTN4j8-M3WchRXLHuqhxx_GHL4VRHG6Kz2GFj5F9HvIUYxKqkI666fZ8Bz/s400/Easy-and-Smooth-Hummus-Recipe-1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-kerning: none;">This <a href="http://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/">hummus recipe</a>. One of Josh and I’s favorite restaurants here in KC is <a href="http://longboardswrapsandbowls.com/">Longboards</a> – and they have the best hummus around. We started searching for a recipe that would give it a run for its money. This one isn’t QUITE Longboards-worthy… but it comes close. The best part? Josh enjoys making it and it’s always fun to see him in the kitchen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: 12.8px;">The idea of being a person with lots of plants in their house. I have no green thumb… whatsoever… But with Josh and I’s powers combined I’m hoping we can keep some plants alive. I got </span><a href="https://shop.magnoliamarket.com/products/cement-pot" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: 12.8px;">this pot </a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: 12.8px;">for my birthday that I’m still waiting to plant something in. I also like the idea of some hanging plants inside? We’ll see how this goes… (or if it even gets off the ground.)</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_a3eoJIaColDZe65aenXI8lv-KC8UguDJVdlEqhpvfp1s_woHdpGqSQJTALhl2lEYnP11ZHwHJNGct7PWT9vg-jPm3VlaPKB3cTaJAlff146RkIhSwVjjgf-gGPVtNVwvg9xaQAVdBd2/s1600/cadd0ddf0507ece3639bbe9b97ccb42d1be54d9a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_a3eoJIaColDZe65aenXI8lv-KC8UguDJVdlEqhpvfp1s_woHdpGqSQJTALhl2lEYnP11ZHwHJNGct7PWT9vg-jPm3VlaPKB3cTaJAlff146RkIhSwVjjgf-gGPVtNVwvg9xaQAVdBd2/s400/cadd0ddf0507ece3639bbe9b97ccb42d1be54d9a.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: 12.8px;">Yes, I realize that most of you may be over Christmas music. But </span><a href="https://play.spotify.com/album/1ML2WOVB8xOW0QxVpyOPyi?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: 12.8px;">this Christmas album</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: 12.8px;"> just came to my attention today and it’s pretty awesome… Leslie Odom, Jr. He’s the guy that sings the pretty Nationwide commercial. It’s worth a listen if you can handle just a little bit more Christmas music. Simply beautiful. I especially like his rendition of The First Noel. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEA-rilzZarkQBBLN3yH_mJ8nvc2hXaOLhpgcKusgG_Cbv8avkoMsGy78RwYixs0fgJSb_ysq9n-2ZJMZnKHrjbeQZ77EJL-4VuJeQuJX1kJqhDlDvsrEifBScGvhkjsVw7USdepwiDiVm/s1600/Missouri_Loves_Company.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEA-rilzZarkQBBLN3yH_mJ8nvc2hXaOLhpgcKusgG_Cbv8avkoMsGy78RwYixs0fgJSb_ysq9n-2ZJMZnKHrjbeQZ77EJL-4VuJeQuJX1kJqhDlDvsrEifBScGvhkjsVw7USdepwiDiVm/s400/Missouri_Loves_Company.jpg" width="363" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: 12.8px;">This </span><a href="http://www.5poundapparel.com/products/copy-of-dark-side-of-the-mississippi" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: 12.8px;">shirt</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: 12.8px;">. We went to be with Josh’s parents in Republic, MO for Christmas this year. Josh and I stopped in this store called Five Pound Apparel in downtown Springfield and it was pretty great. I bought </span><a href="http://www.5poundapparel.com/products/copy-of-dark-side-of-the-mississippi" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: 12.8px;">this t-shirt</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: 12.8px;">. I like it because it’s got Kansas and Missouri sitting on the couch together… It just makes me happy - call me weird.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFm42aNYuWuIlFEVTaSOOvF32HMiHnm1TA6CsWTwMHQf_dySQiDGZUs6SewqLqHZlsu6JQt9RktSbLUQdmr6prB4ex4cyB0jgqkoVQpr33tecroJ3657TVinfRffbQlk82VlPTnsC0JXc/s1600/passengers+poster+inset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFm42aNYuWuIlFEVTaSOOvF32HMiHnm1TA6CsWTwMHQf_dySQiDGZUs6SewqLqHZlsu6JQt9RktSbLUQdmr6prB4ex4cyB0jgqkoVQpr33tecroJ3657TVinfRffbQlk82VlPTnsC0JXc/s400/passengers+poster+inset.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Passengers. Sometimes movie critics bother me. They give the movies that are super dark and depressing the good ratings – but the movies that are just enjoyable to watch get the poor ratings. We saw the movie Passengers on Christmas Day and even though the ratings aren’t super favorable - Josh, both his parents, and myself all enjoyed it. And Chris Pratt is pretty great.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SKI79MDq6je2cfRXY7VxgFlxTgynqIApI3Av2iNrxZBPefLlWUG6gw83s93CGc5046ZZ2f8FGXf6C3fkDPPs8V1ylsg1sECTB6RcZ-2Laet1Kmu8VCmRFJfRWvYYkaPE7Hy2RKr4lR84/s1600/SULYL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SKI79MDq6je2cfRXY7VxgFlxTgynqIApI3Av2iNrxZBPefLlWUG6gw83s93CGc5046ZZ2f8FGXf6C3fkDPPs8V1ylsg1sECTB6RcZ-2Laet1Kmu8VCmRFJfRWvYYkaPE7Hy2RKr4lR84/s400/SULYL.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-kerning: none;">My new <a href="http://www.backcountry.com/patagonia-down-sweater-hooded-jacket-womens?skid=PAT00HZ-NVBLUBL-M?skid">Patagonia coat </a>that I got for Christmas. The gift side of Christmas wasn’t super exciting for the Agees this year. I picked out this coat for myself because I saw it on sale on Cyber Monday. Josh picked out his own watch. So there were no surprises for either of us but we are both still really excited for our gifts. I put this coat on last night and Josh said, “That coat couldn’t be much more you.” I’ll take that as a compliment. Now if it would just get cold enough for me to wear it! (Today’s high is in the 50s…)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-kerning: none;">That's enough for now! Have a great day!</span></div>
abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-65246520613242694512016-12-13T17:08:00.000-06:002016-12-13T17:08:03.060-06:00Try-It Tuesday Catch Up<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Try-It Tuesday… </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Remember when I used to do that? Try new recipes then write about it? Those were the days… I’ve tried quite a few over the last year. Here are some highlights… I’ll give you some “bests” in categories to keep it concise. (Now these are just “bests” of late – not all time bests… Just feel like I need to clarify.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Best Bar</u></b><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-<a href="http://www.averiecooks.com/2016/11/texas-sheet-cake-brownies.html">Texas Sheet Cake Brownies </a>- Josh had the brilliant idea of microwaving these for “13 seconds” and it turned them into something good to something AMAZING.<u></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QIBoWBKgZUzz5UJLwe7zE_1SZVDVfE9sG_4_YArh6-HN0QHbZiJjzrdWud-FAt3C3BOAZ3FDyOXgWDTvVJHmoadGiqtsEiuwDIIONws3U-HD1F8BKuqdSHY8rSt9kwshfa5WwEM-SpQA/s1600/texasbrownies-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QIBoWBKgZUzz5UJLwe7zE_1SZVDVfE9sG_4_YArh6-HN0QHbZiJjzrdWud-FAt3C3BOAZ3FDyOXgWDTvVJHmoadGiqtsEiuwDIIONws3U-HD1F8BKuqdSHY8rSt9kwshfa5WwEM-SpQA/s400/texasbrownies-5.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Best Slow Cooker Recipe</u></b><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-<a href="http://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/slow-cooker-hawaiian-bbq-chicken-taquitos/">Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Taquitos</a> - I feel like this is kind of misleading because not all of this was in the crock pot – just the chicken – then you take the chicken to make it into a taquito. But it was still delicious!<u></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJMMmOoIiMUMWKc5zIq8-xICZHf3E69Rqi60yo5ncpJfvdlr9Ot_noldcuzYlTZBsqrbJ8FSgpGvfDdcTnSJlKmTf5p3tEHV8jU-hpZ8cy_eCcAynjjgKq3Yq-ri92GmKSI0IONP_uSz1/s1600/hawaiian-bbq-chicken-taquitos-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJMMmOoIiMUMWKc5zIq8-xICZHf3E69Rqi60yo5ncpJfvdlr9Ot_noldcuzYlTZBsqrbJ8FSgpGvfDdcTnSJlKmTf5p3tEHV8jU-hpZ8cy_eCcAynjjgKq3Yq-ri92GmKSI0IONP_uSz1/s400/hawaiian-bbq-chicken-taquitos-1.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Best Healthy Recipe</u></b><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-<a href="http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/quinoa-bowls-with-roasted-vegetables-and-chicken/">Quinoa Bowls with Roasted Vegetables and Chicken </a>- I have learned that I do NOT like cutting butternut squash… but I LOVE eating butternut squash. (Yes, this has butternut squash in it... and it's worth it!) This has a dressing you can make on the side – but in my opinion, it’s not needed. The veggies and chicken have enough flavor that there’s not need to add the extra calories.<u></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpEXJ4sIAfsS4JV3Yez4TY_70iTviM_MM-Xx5L-DG-r_4E8ZTlAdZgcqc-km5DRdvXOZGzfWGPdfIAkltWAtj-CCMDy5Y3ayoh5DGGDMnVzfNqb3ySsn41vFwCKAeymoWeiGwwJc_yRXJ/s1600/quinoa-veggie-bowls-tablefortwoblog-3-600x866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpEXJ4sIAfsS4JV3Yez4TY_70iTviM_MM-Xx5L-DG-r_4E8ZTlAdZgcqc-km5DRdvXOZGzfWGPdfIAkltWAtj-CCMDy5Y3ayoh5DGGDMnVzfNqb3ySsn41vFwCKAeymoWeiGwwJc_yRXJ/s400/quinoa-veggie-bowls-tablefortwoblog-3-600x866.jpg" width="276" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Best Cake</u></b><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-<a href="http://myincrediblerecipes.com/better-than-sex-pumpkin-cake/">Better Than Sex Pumpkin Cake</a> - Don’t judge – this is the title given to it by the blogger, not me… And while it may not be true, it’s still dang good.<u></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznK0Ull_gj_J03aggQiCPgOZdIdeh5uO-Jf6ht0OFsWifBnsYYPkdLsHmPl0BRFrf-Zp5n4q969dx_FgNtMpuQOfiszMXTD8A5v4YLDNAnlGLxca7yf0nOBAbn4V9EC0nb-tr0oi6J4cR/s1600/pumpkin2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznK0Ull_gj_J03aggQiCPgOZdIdeh5uO-Jf6ht0OFsWifBnsYYPkdLsHmPl0BRFrf-Zp5n4q969dx_FgNtMpuQOfiszMXTD8A5v4YLDNAnlGLxca7yf0nOBAbn4V9EC0nb-tr0oi6J4cR/s400/pumpkin2-1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Best Pie</u></b><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-<a href="http://chocolatechocolateandmore.com/easy-brownie-pie/">Easy Brownie Pie</a> - I’m not always a huge fan of fruit pies – so this was a good alternative to that!<u></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqdL0dfqJC9nseEljEwug8rnqE7bJ_ucDzvix2l71m9A_h1OAKiGp1-5eCCBXt4X7utmGWc8Huh4Ly5Gv3LvY98NRrRKaITBE0PkqtnWCfmSYZIcMqoDWbuUMceskWUl_F8yezDJL0MzF/s1600/Easy-Brownie-Pie-slice-71c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqdL0dfqJC9nseEljEwug8rnqE7bJ_ucDzvix2l71m9A_h1OAKiGp1-5eCCBXt4X7utmGWc8Huh4Ly5Gv3LvY98NRrRKaITBE0PkqtnWCfmSYZIcMqoDWbuUMceskWUl_F8yezDJL0MzF/s400/Easy-Brownie-Pie-slice-71c.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Best Chicken Recipe</u></b><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-<a href="http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/chicken-massaman-curry/">Chicken Massaman Curry</a> - We are big fans of Thai food – and massaman curry is one of my favorites. This is a great recipe to make it at home. Massaman curry can be difficult to find so I’d recommend planning ahead and ordering it on Amazon. Don’t you just love Amazon Prime?<u></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_9s1jR5TDTqNCAFT4005kjaXv6OgFwTWjCbMt1X18i7oTuOH-BGd_JbaYNK9XvbQXktaoRFUIAqoN_yYv5LTvD00HlC-pMtiP29bt85ClRyLln1rG2eQ8VDrtUCmxEsM57LVCAXCBZc0/s1600/Chicken-Massaman-Curry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_9s1jR5TDTqNCAFT4005kjaXv6OgFwTWjCbMt1X18i7oTuOH-BGd_JbaYNK9XvbQXktaoRFUIAqoN_yYv5LTvD00HlC-pMtiP29bt85ClRyLln1rG2eQ8VDrtUCmxEsM57LVCAXCBZc0/s400/Chicken-Massaman-Curry.jpg" width="280" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Best Cookie Recipe</u></b><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-<a href="http://www.averiecooks.com/2015/12/soft-and-chewy-cranberry-white-chocolate-chip-cookies.html">Soft and Chewy Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies</a> - It’s tradition for me to make white chocolate cranberry cookies for Thanksgiving… This year I tried a different recipe than normal and it was GOOD.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1wVuFnvQBMASQcPOtU4bNZun1nBDCz_zlbi1PA6MUav7WP8FNvNEHdYfZmkFe4drpH7hlElO0mv7DXJvXtSF5-eFJLc5toq0XtsglQ4zGu2MwqCuhJtv8DMBkjyi7Mcc8Ju4exfEppgm/s1600/cranwhitechoccookies-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1wVuFnvQBMASQcPOtU4bNZun1nBDCz_zlbi1PA6MUav7WP8FNvNEHdYfZmkFe4drpH7hlElO0mv7DXJvXtSF5-eFJLc5toq0XtsglQ4zGu2MwqCuhJtv8DMBkjyi7Mcc8Ju4exfEppgm/s400/cranwhitechoccookies-9.jpg" width="260" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">More recipes to come, I'm sure!</span></div>
abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-66549454577254955082016-12-09T09:00:00.000-06:002016-12-09T09:00:13.756-06:00Gratitude.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30Fb_5Kp-hGW4OToCxusw5miXWTkJ8LSeXQBha0NhWGDGBOVEK5UU1Wo19oYHzFP2qcPt0aOkLmFIZITH6zXv4Rk-T254zv5u_pxRwmgOilikPq0DS0_c9u9EoyNH0n1M8MVmm-CuLpuU/s1600/IMG_1895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30Fb_5Kp-hGW4OToCxusw5miXWTkJ8LSeXQBha0NhWGDGBOVEK5UU1Wo19oYHzFP2qcPt0aOkLmFIZITH6zXv4Rk-T254zv5u_pxRwmgOilikPq0DS0_c9u9EoyNH0n1M8MVmm-CuLpuU/s400/IMG_1895.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I will admit that I have a hard time spending consistent time with the Lord. One thing that I have found that helps is putting myself on some kind of plan or devotional to point me in a direction of study and get me in different sections of the Bible than I would gravitate to on my own. Right before Thanksgiving I started reading a study from She Reads Truth called “Psalms of Gratitude.” As I mentioned – I struggle with consistency so I didn’t quite finish before Thanksgiving but I’m still plugging through. (I also am reading their Advent study which is really good!)<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyway, one day they had us read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” They said, “Gratitude is not just an emotion. Rejoicing is not a passive pursuit. The Bible instructs us to declare God’s goodness in every circumstance! We are to pray, seek, and give thanks with an expectant, joyful heart. This is God’s will for us.” Then they gave a list of things to reflect on and be actively thankful. I thought the list was super helpful and good to think on so I thought I’d share it with you. So here it is!<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I will give thanks in…<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u></u>1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span><u></u>This joyful thing:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u></u>2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span><u></u>This suffering:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u></u>3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span><u></u>This certainty:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u></u>4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span><u></u>This stress:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u></u>5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span><u></u>This injustice:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u></u>6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span><u></u>This sorrow:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u></u>7.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span><u></u>This plenty:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u></u>8.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span><u></u>This want:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u></u>9.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span><u></u>This wandering:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u></u>10.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span><u></u>This waiting:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hope this list is a beneficial for you as it was for me. God is good and he deserves our active thanks!</span></div>
abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-81748306545290338862016-12-08T16:47:00.000-06:002016-12-08T16:48:01.157-06:00I'm back!<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #232323; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>(The Agees)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Welp, it's been a while, huh? Quite a bit has happened since May... Let me catch you up!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Olympic year – this doesn’t impact most people – but in the Agee household… it’s significant. In June I got to go with some friends to watch the men’s gymnastics Olympic trials in St. Louis. Let’s be honest… I just went to watch the athletic trainer, my husband, who was working it. But we had a great weekend and enjoyed every bit of it. Skip ahead a few months – of course we had a men’s gymnastics party when the actual Olympics were on. AND I got to go to the post-Olympic tour. All pretty awesome things if you’re a gymnastics kind of person – which I am slowly becoming…</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Showers – we were blessed enough to have lots and lots of wedding showers thrown for us over the summer and fall. We’ve got some pretty awesome people in our lives…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">New house – Josh and I bought a house of our very own and I moved in in August. We love the house… though it still feels like we’re getting settled in since Josh just moved in after the wedding. We may or may not have a room dedicated to empty cardboard boxes. Someday it’ll be a guestroom… someday.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Wedding – Josh and I got married on October 28</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 7.3px; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">! Ultimately I think it was Christ-centered, joyful, beautiful, and family-and-friends-ful day– which is exactly what we wanted. It was pretty awesome...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Honeymoon – we went to Sonoma/Napa and San Francisco for our honeymoon. Turns out I really like traveling and doing life with this guy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">New job – I came back from the honeymoon to start a new job within my company. I am no longer managing a group of people and am now an “analyst” reporting to this high up guy and getting him reports and data on whatever he asks for. Not super exciting but it is way less stressful than my previous job and allows me the freedom to do more of what I feel called to do outside of work…</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232323; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13px;">Which is why I’m back, after 6 months of nothing, and will hopefully be able to write more consistently again! Here goes nothing!</span>abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-47319931735860306782016-05-25T20:18:00.000-05:002016-05-25T20:18:25.176-05:00Scrambled eggs with a side of nostalgia.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I didn't really feel like cooking a meal tonight and I didn't feel like eating leftovers... Ever been there? Some people might have fancy back ups or convenient fill ins like frozen pizza or deli meat or something. Not me. Josh likes to make fun of me because when I go grocery shopping I get enough food to make one meal... so I don't have a lot of extra food hanging around. Yes, I realize it's inefficient and yes, I realize I'm going to have to get my act together when I'm cooking for a family. But for now... it works.<br />
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I always have eggs on hand. I'm a baker - there are some things you always have on hand... Butter, various sugars, flour, cake mixes, cupcake papers... and eggs. So I made scrambled eggs!<br />
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Scrambled eggs have a special place in my heart. They remind me of growing up and the nights that Dad was in charge of dinner. A lot of times we would have something on the grill... but if he was really winging it... scrambled eggs with a side of toast. So tonight as I was "slaving away" at the stove cooking scrambled eggs it made me smile thinking of my dad. I think I'm doing alright if I'm following in his footsteps... scrambled eggs and all. (Love you, De Da!)<br />
<br />abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-3987658415799369712016-05-03T21:32:00.000-05:002016-05-03T21:32:14.678-05:00Perfection in a cookie.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whoa... it's been a while! I promise my intent was not to get engaged and fall off the face of the earth... As you can imagine, things have been a bit busy. Good good stuff is happening though! (More to come on that at a later date.)<br />
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I don't have a lot to say this moment - but I did want to write to tell you about some of the best peanut butter cookies that I've ever made. I can't take credit. I strictly followed the directions laid out before me. But you should follow these directions and make some yourself because they are gooooood.<br />
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That's all. The world just needed to know - these cookies are amazing.<br />
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<a href="http://www.averiecooks.com/2015/03/soft-and-chewy-peanut-butter-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies.html">Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies</a>abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-64845958881401294202016-04-03T16:45:00.004-05:002016-04-03T16:46:32.121-05:00Just engaged!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So… I got engaged last weekend! I’ve been meaning to take some time to write it down but as you can imagine, it’s been a bit of a crazy week. Here’s the story… in case you’re curious.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Josh and I have been talking, praying, waiting on the Lord, etc. for a while to figure out what God wants for our relationship. About a month or two ago (Valentine’s Day to be exact), we had a heart to heart and I basically said, “I want to wait for you to decide… but I can’t wait forever.” He put a tentative deadline on it and decided by the end of March, we needed to make a decision – we’re either in or we’re out.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A couple of weeks ago he started acting differently – something about him made me think that he’d made a decision to go for it which meant I started reading into <i>everything</i> he did. (#girlproblems) Even to the point where I actually had this hunch that <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1657153733" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Tuesday</span></span> of last week (we were supposed to have dinner and watch Fixer Upper) I thought he was going to propose. I ended up having to work late that night and it didn’t work out to hang out, so... no proposal. (That wasn’t his plan anyway…) Other conversations with him, my mom, and others made me think that he was going to do it. Then on Friday night, we had dinner with my parents and something about their conversation made me think that I was wrong all along and had been reading into things that weren’t there.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So after dinner, we went back to my place and watched some Fixer Upper (that’s our new thing). He could tell I was down and asked how I was doing. I just laid it out there, “We said the end of March and it’s almost the end of March. We’re running out of time. Are you any closer to making a decision on our future?” He replied with a VERY convincing, “I don’t know, Abby…” “Well, if you don’t know now, you’re not going to know in a week, so we might as well just end it.” “Let’s just get through this weekend with your family and we’ll deal with it later.” I was SO discouraged.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The next day I texted my mom something like, “You could pray for me – I’m really in a funk. Had a hard talk with Josh last night and I don’t think he’s any closer to being ready. I am afraid I’m going to have to end it.” She responded with normal encouraging, godly mom-like things. I met them for lunch without Josh and was just sad… They were sympathetic but didn’t say much. Josh joined us later in the day to watch the Oklahoma and KU basketball games (RIP Jayhawks AND Sooners...) and in his words, “You were cooold.” We watched the games then headed home and confession – I cried the whole way home in anticipation of having to end this relationship.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1657153734" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Sunday</span></span> came. We did church together and had plans to drive to Olathe to have an Easter lunch with my extended family. I was just trying to focus on Easter and what Jesus did on the cross because that’s bigger and better than any of my earthly woes. Josh told me that he had to be the closer after church so we had to wait til everyone cleared out and then turn off lights, lock up, etc. He asked me to help him turn off the lights so we walked in the sanctuary and I noticed that the light behind the stage was still on so I walked back there to turn it off. When I came back out to the stage…<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt;">He was on one knee with a ring in his hands! I’m not 100% sure what was said after that. I cried and definitely exclaimed some things like, “Oh my gosh! Are you serious? Oh my gosh! Are you sure?” and he didn’t say anything. Then me, in my typical direct fashion, said, “So… are you going to ask me?” He asked, “Will you marry me?” I said yes, we said I love you for the first time, and the rest is history! Then I looked around and our friend King was there taking pictures. We chatted a bit then headed to Olathe where we were greeted by my parents – who knew all along because Josh chatted with my dad </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt;">the few weeks leading up to it – and the rest of my family who celebrated with us as we walked in the door.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5M3hbvTBREruAblziuShW9mZXi1F09HNKq6GAsNVoBThBSMMn0658a8DicmT6fM8HcJ9To2BcqjDMRre2zt5b_Tns-9OnvgFnXpdNyVWPIJXmxvsRkkW1Wzna0KGViNbiyADgWrcHg7z/s1600/unnamed-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5M3hbvTBREruAblziuShW9mZXi1F09HNKq6GAsNVoBThBSMMn0658a8DicmT6fM8HcJ9To2BcqjDMRre2zt5b_Tns-9OnvgFnXpdNyVWPIJXmxvsRkkW1Wzna0KGViNbiyADgWrcHg7z/s400/unnamed-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>There's a guitar in the way... but this is him proposing. (Unfortunate angle but you get the gist!)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I was pretty excited...</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Awkward kissing picture... </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u></u> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Telling the story to my family... with a truck as our stage.</i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We’re engaged! Still can’t really believe it. Can’t believe that I went from thinking that I was sadly going to have to move on, to happily starting to plan the rest of my life with this guy!<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Simply and perfectly beautiful. He couldn't have picked a better one for me.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(Now on to wedding planning. I’m going to apologize in advance – this blog may be a little wedding centric over the next 6 months. But let’s do this!)</span></div>
abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-30894693591654618142016-03-20T21:26:00.003-05:002016-03-21T22:10:07.711-05:00Insecurity. (Warning: super emo post.)<br />
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I've been struggling with insecurity lately. I know, we all struggle with insecurities... But lately it seems as though I've been letting it affect my life more than it has in the past.<br />
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I would say that if you would have asked me a few years ago, "What would have to happen to make you feel good about yourself?" I would have answered: 1. Lose weight. 2. Get a boyfriend. Well... about 2 years ago I started losing weight and dating someone. I felt good about myself... for a while. But the, "Wow! You look great!"s have stopped coming because my weight loss is old news. And as great as Josh is, his newness has also worn off and I've started putting this unfair weight on the things he does or doesn't say. Basically... I'm back at square one and I'm a mess.<br />
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I have started reading the book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0034FJGJE/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1">So Long Insecurity</a>" by Beth Moore. (If that doesn't sound like a self-help book... I don't know what does.) I read it a few years ago but I'm back for more... She wrote:<br />
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"We all have insecurities. They piggyback on the vulnerability inherent in our humanity. The question is whether or not our insecurities are substantial enough to hurt, limit, or even distract us from profound effectiveness or fulfillment of purpose. Are they cheating us of the powerful and abundant life Jesus flagrantly promised? Do they nip at our heels all the way from the driveway to the workplace? Scripture claims that believers in Christ are enormously gifted people. Are our insecurities snuffing the Spirit until our gifts, for all practical purposes, are largely unproductive or, at the very least, tentative?"<br />
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If I'm being honest... this is where I'm at. I'm disappointed that I let myself get here. I know better than to put my hope and worth in anything other than the Lord yet I do it time and time again. So I'm working on it... Side by side with Christ I'm digging into this. No resolution yet... I'm still a work in progress - and always will be. But I just thought I'd write to say insecurities suck - and if you struggle like I do - maybe it's time you start poking holes in yours because they could be preventing you from being and doing what God has called you and created you to be and do. Let's do this.<br />
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(You can't say I didn't warn you...)abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-42549366266617134732016-03-05T23:04:00.001-06:002016-03-05T23:04:18.322-06:00Almond Poppyseed Bread.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We had our monthly family birthday party today and because it was in the morning we opted for brunch food. I looove me some brunch. I signed up to bring a sweet bread or cinnamon rolls. I also looove me some cinnamon rolls but decided I didn't want to go through the hassle of letting the dough rise, rolling them out, baking them, frosting them, etc... So I went the easy route: sweet bread.<br />
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One of my favorite sweet bread recipes is one that I found a few years ago for Almond Poppyseed Bread (or at least that's what I call it). It's super easy and has always been a hit. The family loved it today as well and I had a couple of them ask for the recipe so I figured it'd share it with you all, just in case you're in the search of the perfect sweet bread. (Since I know... that's something all of you are in searching of, right? Nope? Just me?)<br />
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Anyway, here it is: <a href="http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/06/poppyseed-bread-from-not-so-desperate.html">Almond Poppyseed Bread</a>. Get to it!abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-59179995378581878152016-03-04T10:30:00.000-06:002016-03-04T10:30:06.499-06:00Florida.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9bisf2JDYRG7xcUUjsn9F3iJuPdFkyUcPJQQQ6d5_hoAggYtJ0PGuojUmMNIfX2NayEW6T5nPMxmSDk60oyCYYq7lsKGdo3kxSzOSvJfJ6uqSo7bbGwswm83iuoAB7HNSLy1vZPGJwdu/s1600/IMG_0737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9bisf2JDYRG7xcUUjsn9F3iJuPdFkyUcPJQQQ6d5_hoAggYtJ0PGuojUmMNIfX2NayEW6T5nPMxmSDk60oyCYYq7lsKGdo3kxSzOSvJfJ6uqSo7bbGwswm83iuoAB7HNSLy1vZPGJwdu/s400/IMG_0737.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Last week I went to West Palm Beach with my Florida with my parents. It was a great trip - lots of relaxation, time on the beach, and spending time with two of my favorite people.<br />
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Of course the beach was beautiful as always... Here are some of my favorite shots from the week.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRg3KLD5-2E1c4CbM3Vq5_lX00ug5H8VH5XOW9BqeNsDt2ebYcrE8dFi6Q6dGVeenN3i9pm01PfqNVWUuRCKEbUK1Z_JABZzbcDgAi85oUopT2MIiybpuIwuX0t6oetdX5zUaUAS_CnwkY/s1600/IMG_0669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRg3KLD5-2E1c4CbM3Vq5_lX00ug5H8VH5XOW9BqeNsDt2ebYcrE8dFi6Q6dGVeenN3i9pm01PfqNVWUuRCKEbUK1Z_JABZzbcDgAi85oUopT2MIiybpuIwuX0t6oetdX5zUaUAS_CnwkY/s400/IMG_0669.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-78167465548700553382016-03-03T22:00:00.000-06:002016-03-03T22:00:02.740-06:00Food Beauty.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNSCsGvXWvnvfFsHoLwvya9q9LaZ3bjukvn-iewZOC3iz9lJkuAdxv29WZnnqAOaWY9a8djc4oGDgO42QUnq0NxzgmWyzgKhVyospTTZNlvLewQq6T1YXY6WiCn7hqzV7C7X4JIXexHE2/s1600/IMG_0751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNSCsGvXWvnvfFsHoLwvya9q9LaZ3bjukvn-iewZOC3iz9lJkuAdxv29WZnnqAOaWY9a8djc4oGDgO42QUnq0NxzgmWyzgKhVyospTTZNlvLewQq6T1YXY6WiCn7hqzV7C7X4JIXexHE2/s400/IMG_0751.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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For some reason... food has looked pretty beautiful to me lately. No... not because I love to eat. It just has hit me as beautiful at different times over the last few weeks.<br />
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So yes... I'm that person. That person who takes pictures of her food. But how can you resist? What a cool world we live in that we get to eat delicious, beautiful things like this!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbT_KuMeajRAWzGA5CmXU7xSK2cuoP1GJ0cXnCfquiHiQVcK0uKnL8gv9WbbsK2ve__BFj3ts8Ou55SgRBg9EFHYNeTLJeuqm1Krmos_odjbZ2h_znpLnj6UwAZVFKij78hq19x0FSRMt/s1600/IMG_0758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbT_KuMeajRAWzGA5CmXU7xSK2cuoP1GJ0cXnCfquiHiQVcK0uKnL8gv9WbbsK2ve__BFj3ts8Ou55SgRBg9EFHYNeTLJeuqm1Krmos_odjbZ2h_znpLnj6UwAZVFKij78hq19x0FSRMt/s400/IMG_0758.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-30863701401704869712016-02-15T21:34:00.002-06:002016-02-16T22:52:20.470-06:00Valentine's Day.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday was Valentine's Day. Josh treated me pretty stinking well - gave me a card, wrote me a poem (yes, a poem!), gave me a picture of us in a cute (mustard colored - my favorite!) picture frame, gave me sunflower seeds (the kind you plant, not eat) because he looked all over for sunflowers and couldn't find any, brought me a donut and coffee... I mean, seriously, that's good, right?<br />
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I also saw this cheesy sign that a church down the street put up. We've got quite a few churches around here who like to put cheesy sayings on their signs that they think will entice people to walk in the doors like, "Honk if you love " or "There are some questions that can't be answered by google." Anyway, this sign, as cheesy as it was, kind of struck me. It said:<br />
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<b>"Since time began I have loved you. Happy Valentine's Day, Jesus."</b></blockquote>
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Cheesy it may be... it was a good reminder of the ultimate love. Yes, love on this earth is great... but there is nothing that compares to the love of Jesus.<br />
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(P.S. The really cool print I got above is from <a href="http://www.nrmlhmn.com/">Normal Human</a>. Thanks for the tip, Valeria!)abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-31379205014730056292016-01-20T07:00:00.000-06:002016-01-20T07:00:33.989-06:00A new favorite. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwSeRk76k5firBSUAUzt3spdMJGdKlBHDbYIT2_RePntLup0cmrwmY7dM3FF1ow07hOp3TFuTtW3zn-rDOsUItH7yDbOyYb7DNZVef7fDnCZx4S9m2zeuYVcw52A9rJDq3x2Hn3T1JzPm/s1600/IMG_0503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwSeRk76k5firBSUAUzt3spdMJGdKlBHDbYIT2_RePntLup0cmrwmY7dM3FF1ow07hOp3TFuTtW3zn-rDOsUItH7yDbOyYb7DNZVef7fDnCZx4S9m2zeuYVcw52A9rJDq3x2Hn3T1JzPm/s400/IMG_0503.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I know you're not really supposed to have favorites... but my favorite Christmas present this year was from Josh - he got me an original painting from my dear friend and favorite artist Megan. Over the past few weeks I've been trying to figure out how I wanted to hang it and I found the piece on the left at a local art shop in St. Louis this past weekend and it all came together in my mind. I'd also <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/222776742/minimalist-wall-art-triangle-print?utm_source=OpenGraph&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share">seen the idea on Pinterest </a>of an artist who had made some geometric pieces so I stole that idea to make something small that tied in the simplicity of the quote and the color of Megan's painting.<br />
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Anyway, it makes me happy every time a look at it so I thought I'd write about it. A big thanks to Josh and Megan for the lovely gift.<br />
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(To check out more of Meg's work, here are her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/people/ShinyButtons">Etsy</a>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/people/ShinyButtons">Minted</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/meganleongart/">Facebook</a> pages. She's pretty amazing...)abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-13432371091982844932016-01-19T19:46:00.003-06:002016-01-19T19:46:39.916-06:00Good friends.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I went and visited my friend Valeria in St. Louis this weekend. It was a way overdue trip and I spontaneously decided to make it happen the weekend before. Luckily Valeria (and her husband Jonathan who was out of town the majority of the weekend) are gracious and equally spontaneous hosts so it worked out!<br />
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V and Jon are special friends. We all became fast friends in the first weeks of our freshman year of college and despite the distance and time, the second I walked in their home and we were reunited it felt like old times. Confession: I suck at keeping in touch with people. But I am so thankful for good friends like them that you don't see forever but it feels like you didn't really skip a beat. I always thought it was funny when people said that about their friends - but Valeria and Jonathan are living proof that it can happen. I'm blessed enough to have friends like that!<br />
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Jon had to leave Saturday morning for a business trip but V and I got to do things that I love to do. Eat good food at some fun restaurants in the city, go shopping, watch chick flicks, catch up... It was just a great weekend. Thanks, V, for letting me come and visit!<br />
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abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-25471757210806444222016-01-02T20:33:00.003-06:002016-01-02T20:33:43.982-06:00Try-It Saturday: Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My mom makes the best chicken noodle soup. My opinion may be a little biased because I grew up on the stuff, but I think it's pretty good. The only problem is, she doesn't really have a recipe for it so it's hard for me to make on my own. "Put in some chicken bouillon until it is the right shade of yellow..." That's a problem for a baker like me - we like exact instructions. So I've pretty much given up on trying to recreate my mom's chicken noodle soup. But occasionally I try other recipes, recipes with clear measurements and instructions, to satisfy my chicken noodle soup cravings until I can have my mom's.<br />
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Tonight was one of those nights. A crazy Saturday night as a 28-year-old - doing laundry, watching Cinderella, and trying out a new chicken noodle soup recipe. <a href="http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2015/01/07/lightened-creamy-chicken-noodle-soup/">Lightened-Up Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup</a>. It indeed was not my mom's, but it was still pretty dang good. Lots of flavor and I really liked the creaminess! If you don't have the pleasure of trying out my mom's - I'd say this is a good second place recipe for you to try out on your own.<br />
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Hope you enjoy!<br />
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<a href="http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2015/01/07/lightened-creamy-chicken-noodle-soup/">Lightened-Up Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup</a>abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-72372732706318840182016-01-01T13:11:00.002-06:002016-01-01T13:11:27.968-06:00A Quick Review: 2015.I, like the majority of the population, tend to get a little nostalgic around New Year's. I like to look back over the year and see everything that God has done and everywhere that He has taken me. Thanks to social media, it's easy to see the highlights... the special things that were worthy of announcing to the world. But God did a lot through the non-Facebook/Instagram/Twitter moments in the last year - and I'm thankful for that.<br />
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Here are some of the social media highlights. If you want the good stuff, that's more of a conversation to be had over coffee. (Which I'm game for... you just say the word.)<br />
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<b>I got to go on quite a few trips.</b><br />
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New York with the PAALs (Phillips, Agee, Abby, and Leongs). Yep - we're cool like that and have named ourselves.<br />
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Bahamas with three really cool ladies.<br />
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Colorado with the family.<br />
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<b>Two of my brothers got married to some wonderful ladies and I had the pleasure of singing at both weddings.</b><br />
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Cory's wedding here in KC.<br />
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Joel's wedding outside of Austin.<br />
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Here's me trying to reminder the words. :)<br />
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<b>I don't know if you heard, but the Royals won the World Series. This kind of took over our entire city for a month or so...</b><br />
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I got to go to the ALCS championship game!<br />
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I got to do life with this guy. He's teaching me a lot and I'm pretty lucky to have him by my side.<br />
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Other noteworthy things that I don't really have pictures for...<br />
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-I got a promotion at work on March and now manage a team. It's been a tough year at work but God is teaching me a lot through it.<br />
-My roommate Becky and I moved to an apartment in May. No more dog Dietrich or old roommate Audra but it's not a bad place to live.<br />
-I love my church - LifeConnection. It's given me such a cool place to learn, serve, and have community with others.<br />
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<b>I'm sure I'm missing a lot... but 2015 was a good year. </b>abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-63099811029632567872015-12-30T17:44:00.001-06:002015-12-30T17:44:37.416-06:00"I must die."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This blog has taken a different turn lately, eh? It's been a while since I've written a post about something little like the way icicles form on street signs or something delicious like a new recipe I've tried. For some reason I've wanted to write about the stuff God is teaching me. I feel like he's really been laying it on thick lately so I thought I'd share some more.<br />
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I've mentioned before that my friend April and I are (slowly) going to through the book A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent. I have been convicted, in the best, most gracious way that only God can convict, that even though I don't want to admit it, I'm living for the world, not Christ and his kingdom. I've been reading about how the gospel isn't just a story of Christ's crucifixion but also the story of my own crucifixion. Here are some bits and pieces from the book because he says it way better than I ever could... why reinvent the wheel.<br />
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"The Bible tells me that I, too, was crucified on Christ's cross. My old self was slain there, and my love affair with the world was crucified there too."<br />
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"He insists that every hour be my dying hour, and He wants my death on the cross to be as central to my own life story as is Christ's death to the gospel story."<br />
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"Crucifixion hurts. In fact, its heart-wrenching brutality can numbs the senses. It is a gasping and bloody affair, and there is nothing nice, pretty, or easy about it. It is not merely death, but excruciating death."<br />
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"I should expect every day to encourage circumstantial evidence of God's commitment to my dying; and I must seize upon every God-given opportunity to be confirmed more fully to Christ's death, no matter the pain involved."<br />
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"These facts surrounding Christ's resurrection stand as proof positive that God will not leave me for dead, but will raise me similarly, if I would only allow myself to die."<br />
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This was one of the things that hit me hardest... It's so practical and relevant and shows me where I'm really struggling with dying to myself.<br />
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<b>"When my flesh yearns for some prohibited thing, I must die. When called to do something I don't want to do, I must die. When I wish to be selfish and serve no one, I must die. When shattered by hardships that I despise, I must die. When wanting to cling to wrongs done against me, I must die. When enticed by allurements of the world, I must die. When wishing to keep besetting sins secret, I must die. When wants that are borderline needs are left unmet, I must die. When dreams that are good seem shoved aside, I must die."</b><br />
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"Not my will, but Yours be done."<br />
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This is what I'm learning. God's patiently chipping away at my sin... There's nothing "nice, pretty, or easy about it" - it's an "excruciating death" - but it's what needs to be done to help grow me into the godly woman I was created to be.<br />
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"So, come what may, I'll let no one take this death from me!"abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-37434883675734985672015-12-25T23:24:00.000-06:002015-12-25T23:24:26.416-06:00Joy to the world!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today was Christmas! I love Christmas. I love the traditions, the food, the gifts, the songs, the lights, the family... I love it all. This year felt a little different than most though. New people in the family, hard stuff going on in the world, some traditions being broken... I found myself feeling a little sad as I drove to my aunt and uncle's house for our traditional Christmas dinner. I was sad because I have made Christmas this sacred (unfortunately a secular version of sacred) thing in my head and I was really down when the reality didn't live up to the expectations. There I was, driving down 435, getting teary on the highway because my Christmas day wasn't everything I'd hoped.<div>
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Then "Joy To The World" came on the radio... and it hit me, smacked me in the face actually, that today (and every day) should be a day of joy because God sent his son Jesus to this earth to live, die, and be resurrected to save us! That's what Christmas is all about... Not about tradition, or family, or friends, or gifts, or any kind of perfection. It's about God fulfilling his promises and the birth of Christ and what that ultimately means for our salvation. That's something to be joyful about!</div>
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So there I was, driving down 435, still getting teary but for reasons of joy. Christ was born and that's something to celebrate! God was gracious enough to send me this gentle reminder on my drive today so I thought I'd pass it on just in case your Christmas day didn't go as you had hoped and you needed a gentle reminder as well.</div>
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I hope today was a Christmas day full of joy celebrating the birth of our gracious, wonderful Savior. And if it wasn't, it's not too late... </div>
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Merry Christmas!</div>
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(PS The version of Joy To The World That I was listening to is by Paul Baloche and it's a really good one. I included the cheesy YouTube video and lyrics, just for kicks.)</div>
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Joy to the world, the Lord is come!</div>
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Let earth receive her King.</div>
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Let every heart prepare Him room,</div>
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heaven and nature sing,</div>
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let heaven and nature sing,</div>
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let heaven and heaven and nature sing.</div>
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Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!</div>
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Let men their songs employ;</div>
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while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,</div>
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repeat the sounding joy,</div>
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repeat the sounding joy,</div>
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repeat, repeat the sounding joy.</div>
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Hear the joyful sound of our offering</div>
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as Your saints bow down, as Your people sing.</div>
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We will rise with You, lifted on Your wings,</div>
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and the world will see that:</div>
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Our God saves, our God saves.</div>
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There is hope in Your name.</div>
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Mourning turns to songs of praise;</div>
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our God saves, our God Saves.</div>
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You rule the world with trust and grace,</div>
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and make the nations prove</div>
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the glories of Your righteousness,</div>
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the wonders of Your love,</div>
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the wonders of Your love,</div>
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the wonders, wonders of Your love. </div>
abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-52067663998889057532015-12-19T22:07:00.002-06:002015-12-19T22:07:30.694-06:00Christmas cards.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZafIV03qf4DKp8lrbSDcuLpScRKjD8lq8dHCtnY3Az5hgIIGsD1z1BO_TbQQGkF2oIHq-f3K9oBBTIsicA1sDIAd6_Jqrcspt2u4ZwrE1ufr4YnzxUEty-hhMLB1lnNeghNSjrzptoA7/s1600/IMG_0350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZafIV03qf4DKp8lrbSDcuLpScRKjD8lq8dHCtnY3Az5hgIIGsD1z1BO_TbQQGkF2oIHq-f3K9oBBTIsicA1sDIAd6_Jqrcspt2u4ZwrE1ufr4YnzxUEty-hhMLB1lnNeghNSjrzptoA7/s400/IMG_0350.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've received a few Christmas cards over the last few weeks. This is nothing new... I've gotten Christmas cards in the past... but something must be in the air this year because every time I've received one I've been overcome with how lucky/fortunate/blessed I am to have all these wonderful people in my life. Family, friends from college, friends from this stage of life... God has surrounded me with some pretty incredible people and these Christmas cards with their beautiful faces have been great reminders.<br />
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I hope your Christmas cards are bringing to a place of thankfulness and joy like they have been for me.<br />
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(Less than a week until the big day!)abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-7551972410039211132015-12-07T22:13:00.002-06:002015-12-07T22:16:18.836-06:00Christmas is coming!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Man, a lot has happened in the last month since I wrote my "joy not found in our circumstances" post. God has really made me practice what I preached... Can't say I've been rock solid through the last month... not even close. But I sure am glad I've got Jesus. That's all I can say...<br />
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On a lighter note, the wonderful holiday that is Thanksgiving has come and gone and we are now in the Christmas season and I've been loving it. Here are a few things I've been loving lately:<br />
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Yes, I know, everyone loves their Christmas tree... but I really love my Christmas tree. Any excuse to have white lights on all the time is a good thing in my eyes.<br />
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Speaking of Christmas lights - I put some out on our porch this weekend. Normally I'm all about the classy white but I decided to get crazy and went with colored. Whaaaat? Watch out Mansions Apartments - we're festive.<br />
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I made the mistake of trying Talenti gelato about a month ago and I'm really regretting it... It's dangerous. 1. It's expensive. 2. It's delicious. 3. It comes in tiny containers so you feel like you can eat the whole thing when you truly shouldn't. 4. I bought the Old World Eggnog variety this time - and I'm a fan.<br />
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People at work call me a hipster. Clearly they've never been to Austin or anywhere remotely hipster-ish but I'm not very hipster. I do love me some Sufjan Stevens though (I'm not even sure he's hipster anymore - if I was hipster, I would know.) His Christmas album(s) is one of my favorites.<br />
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I get to wrap gifts! I've wrapped every gift I've purchased so far and I'm eagerly waiting for the rest of them to come in the mail. I asked Josh tonight, "Do you have any gifts I can wrap for you?" Yep, I'm that great... :)<br />
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Most importantly, it's advent season. A lot of you may not know much about advent, but it's not just one of those calendars where you get to eat a piece of chocolate every day leading up to Christmas. It's actually a time to focus and prepare your hearts for the coming of Christ. I got to help with the advent service my church put on a few weeks ago and it was quite possibly one of the coolest things I've been a part of. Advent. Christ coming to the earth to live, die, and be resurrected for our sins. Now that's something to get excited about...abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-38040566386454585092015-11-11T19:39:00.002-06:002015-11-11T19:42:15.664-06:00Circumstances while searching for peace.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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God's been really smacking me in the face lately... in the best way possible. It's been one of those weeks where I feel like he keeps showing me the same thing over and over again but every time I hear it I'm like, "Oh yeah..." I wish it would stick, but I'm a sinner and it hasn't, so I'm thankful for the constant reminders...</div>
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<b>My happiness, peace, contentment, etc. will never be found in my circumstances... it will only be found in Him. </b><br />
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It first came at church this past Sunday. Our pastor preached about how following Jesus brings supernatural peace from God. Things of this world give us a counterfeit peace and we will only get real peace from Jesus. That's the quick version. :) <a href="http://lifeconnectionkc.org/sermon-archive/discipleship-spirit-empowered-discipleship/">(Here's the long version if you want to listen.)</a><br />
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Then last night I was reading this book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=a+gospel+primer+milton+vincent&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=77257480117&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17147546118135056950&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_4m94uxti85_b">The Gospel Primer </a>and there was a section about Perspective In Trials. It said, "More than anything else could ever do, the gospel enables me to embrace my tribulations and thereby position myself to gain full benefits from them. For the gospel is <u>the one great permanent circumstance</u> in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His gospel purposes in me." That's good stuff! I love that God is a god of redemption - and that He doesn't just let crappy stuff happen, but He uses it.<br />
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Then this morning I was listening to one of my new favorite songs <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNqo4Un2uZI">"It Is Well" by Bethel</a>. And the lyrics are just powerful... "Through it all my eyes are on you. Through it all it is well." No matter the circumstance - through it all - it is well.<br />
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I've also been trying to memorize Philippians 4:4-7 this week. It's basically perfect. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Rejoice - it says!<br />
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What I'm learning is that I need to let go. As Bethel's song says, "So let go, my soul, and trust in Him. The waves and wind still know His name." The waves and wind, the crappy (or even fantastic) circumstances will come and go, but Jesus will remain, and He'll use those gosh darn waves and wind. But with Him comes peace. He promises it.<br />
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I am thankful for a God who doesn't give up on me. Who keeps growing me and teaching me and loving me. How undeserving yet thankful am I.abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-76320764540756720922015-11-07T13:39:00.005-06:002015-11-07T13:40:23.054-06:00Royals!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">($25 regular, $27 vintage)</span></i></div>
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It's been a while, eh? Not a lot has been going on... other than the fact that our beloved Kansas City Royals won the World Series this week! It's pretty much all our entire city can think or talk about... we're a bit excited.<br />
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If you, too, are excited about the Royals and would like to get yourself a really cool shirt that few other people have, you should probably check out this shirt that my brother Cory designed. The way the website that he put it on works is that he had to sell at least 12 shirts to have it produced... 25 to make any money. He was just hoping it would get produced and he made it to 12... and is well beyond that. (Currently 46 purchases!) It's available for a limited time - but it's a pretty neat shirt and is on a high quality t-shirt. Check it out!<br />
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Go Royals! <a href="https://cottonbureau.com/products/royals-19852015">Get it here!</a>abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112705190426965459.post-74447927233000811712015-10-01T18:33:00.000-05:002015-10-01T20:36:57.767-05:00Not so chili-like chili...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Not to sound like a broken record... but something in me comes alive in the fall. I don't know what it is - but I love pretty much everything about it. Today has felt more like fall than any other day this year so needless to say... my heart is pretty happy.<br />
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The weather is a little cooler so I wore boots for the first time! I also stopped by Yankee Candle and bought a couple of fall-smelling candles (Harvest and Apple Pumpkin, in case you were curious...) AND, I decided to make a pot of one of the soups that I blogged about a few weeks ago. Let me tell you about it...<br />
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<a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2015/08/slow-cooker-paleo-jalapeno-popper.html">Slow Cooker Jalapeño Popper Chicken Chili</a><br />
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1. This soup is delicious but I didn't get that much of a "chili-vibe" from it. I actually looked up the definition of chili to see if this qualifies because I was convinced it didn't. According to the <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chili">Merriam-Webster definition</a> chili is "a spicy dish made of ground beef, hot peppers or chili pepper, and usually beans." So... I was wrong - this actually fit the definition of chili exactly except for the beans part. Which is why this recipe threw me off. There are no beans.<br />
2. It's technically "paleo." I don't go for all that crazy (unsustainable) diet mumbo jumbo... But if you're into the paleo thing - this recipe is for you.<br />
3. It has ground beef in it. I've probably cooked with beef once in the last 3 years. Today is time numero dos - but it added something different to my normally white meat filled diet and I was pleased!<br />
4. It also has ground turkey in it. The recipe called for ground chicken but that was $3 more expensive so I opted for turkey instead. #cheapo<br />
5. It called for goat cheese but I decided that I didn't need the extra calories so I left it out and it tasted just fine.<br />
6. It also called for avocado - I decided I <b><i>did</i></b> need those extra calories so I left it in and it was wonderful. (Just remembered I forgot to add the green onions - dang, that would have been good!)<br />
7. It's called "jalapeño popper" chili but the only thing reminiscent of a jalapeño popper is the chopped up jalapeños I put in it... No cream cheese. No bacon. But still pretty fantastic.<br />
8. It's a slow cooker recipe. I have a love hate relationship with slow cooker recipes... But again, if you're into that kind of thing - this is a recipe for you!<br />
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Anyway, I'd highly recommend this chili-like soup thing. It's meaty (my dad would love it), multi-dimensional, healthy, and interesting (the good kind of interesting.) You should make it!abby!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06424264637701835097noreply@blogger.com1