Life is a Beach.

This is what I will be doing in approximately 24 hours! Yipee!!!!

Every Summer and usually Spring Break, My family and I travel to our beach house in High Island Boliver. ( AKA right across from Galveston). Many of you ahem ( non Texans) will be sticking your nose up at Galveston however this is Texas and we take what we can get!!!! 

My family has had a beach house since I was five ears old..I spent many summers and spring breaks romping around the sand, body surfing, racing after the ice cream truck,  and catching hermit crabs only to later kill them by ripping them out of their shell. I ate Bomb pops by the dozen, never wore shoes, and was about as brown as the sun could brown me :) 

Hurricane Ike happened and tore down our favorite little beach house. The one that housed memories from my childhood...the one where I took my first sip of alcohol with my best friend, the one where I took all of my friends after prom for our first " SENIOR TRIP" , and the same house that we watched the mardis gras parade go by each and every year.  We had so many fun memories in that beach house with friends and family and honestly the dirty beach was just a part of all the fun. We weren't bothered by the fact that our feet never touched white sand..or that we couldn't see our feet when we looked down into the water.  We were just happy to have a place to go and relax with good people who didn't want all the fuss.

TODAY

I go to that same beach with my husband...my family has  a brand new house that we bought after the hurricane ripped through. Since the hurricane everyone has rebuilt, renovated, and started a new little town. This is the place that I will take my baby and start memories with my own little family. I absolutely look forward to our beach trips..I have two fresh new library books, my beloved four dollar tanning oil that I KNOW is bad for me but I love :), and most of all my entire family. We love to cook and boil shrimp, listen to music on the deck, fish and lay out, ride the boat and go crabbing. Just fun! So for the next week this is what I will be doing :) pictures later to come!!!

and just for grins

some beach pics from last year's trips

Friday Favorites!

Yay It is Friday!!!! I am linking up with Erika and sharing my Friday favorites :) This has been a long week..maybe it is because it is the week before we head to the beach! Yay!!!

1.  Have you guys heard of Accessory Concierge?? A blogging friend introduced this website and now I am hooked! Beautiful jewelry for decent prices...im in!  I just ordered a few pieces that will transition well into fall! I recently Purchased 

This Antilles Necklace ( Orange with Blue horn) I mean this screams summer..and it will jazz up any old basic tee! I cannot wait to wear it :) Shop this necklace here

I also bought this Mykonos Collar because a) it was on sale and b) um its beautiful!!

These were just a few of the accessories that I bought ..I decided to not post the rest in case Brandon is reading ( Hi Brandon :)) check out their website! You will not be disappointed!

2.  I found THESE precious bible verse printables from a blogging website from Pinterest. I printed them out ( FOR FREE<<---- love that!) and put them in shadow boxes found for 5 $ from Hobby Lobby!! I love a good easy craft project! This is about as DIY as I get for now so I was pretty tickled over these!!! I also cleaned my desk space and added a few touches!

I mean how great did these turn out!!!! I love chalkboard art!

Small little mail center in my office, perfect niche for some nifty quotable art :)

May not look so clean but IT  IS!!! It is organized and filed and everything is put in it's proper place which feels so GOOD.

Cute little Polka dot frame from Hobby Lobby

Decided to amp up my bulletin board. I found THIS ONE from Target for 10 bucks and it fits perfectly inside of my little desk. 

To view similar options click

Here

Here

Both of these above options are cute and affordable!

3.  Summer Mornings

I love summertime..I slept in today and decided I would drink my coffee and read some of my blog buds outside with my favorite companion :) Although the rain has been non stop, it has done wonders for our yard! It is the greenest it has ever been and for that I am thankful!

 He always sits by mommy :)

5.This is the lunch I'm into right now...one tomato cut up, avocado chunked, salt and pepper with a drizzle of EVOO. It is so simple..I love picking the tomatoes right from my tomato garden and then adding  a healthy fat like an avocado makes this lunch healthy and super quick! Make it this week for yourself!

Thats it for this Friday!!! Happy Weekend Friends!!! 

Next week I will be posting some southern staples and some specialty sides to jazz up any plain main course!!!!

Steelhead Trout with a Lemon Butter and Dill topping

So normally I don't post two food posts in one day but ...friends...oh.my. 

This was something I had to blog about as soon as it hit my mouth!

During the Summer Brandon and I typically eat a lot more fish than we do in the Winter just because its lighter, healthier..that sort of thing. However, we tend to stick with the SAME OLE BORING FISH. 

Salmon. 

Yes I love salmon! It is healthy, easy, can be cooked with only a few simple ingredients..but after a while it got a little bit boring. So after talking with my fish monger at my local grocer..he recommended steel head trout ( which looks and tastes similar to salmon) I have only had rainbow trout and love it however I wanted something easier to prepare. Steel head has a light, flavor but at the same time a dense richness to it that makes it versatile to cook with! This is the recipe I came up with and it was so good!

Shopping List

2 8 oz filets of steelhead trout

fresh Dill

One Lemon

Zest of 1/2 a lemon

1/4 stick of butter ( could sub olive oil)

salt and pepper

one shallot chopped and minced

two garlic cloves  chopped and minced

Procedure

Preheat your oven to a nice and hot 450 degrees

meanwhile in your pan over med. high heat, place your butter and let it melt a little. Then add your chopped shallot and garlic..once they start to soften add your lemon zest and lemon juice let the flavors cook for about three minutes.

on a baking sheet, salt and pepper your fish then once the shallot and garlic is finished cooking ..pour the buttery sauce on top of the fish and finally place the chopped fresh dill on top. 

Pop in the oven for 15 minutes ...

you will have a perfect, flaky, moist and delightful fish dinner!!!

We served ours with a side of halved brussels and chopped butternut squash. 

Cast Iron Stuffed Mozzarella Turkey Meatballs

Okay so seriously one of the best dishes I have come up with!!! These were carb friendly and I used a very lean 93 % Turkey. I think you could also go with a very lean beef or even 1/2 beef and 1/2 pork if you aren't watching calories and they would be amazing!!! I served these over a bed of Zoodles ( my zucchini noodles ) and topped with a little parm. It was so yummy!!!!

Shopping List

2 1b rolls of Turkey Meat ( I used 93 percent lean)

Buffallo Mozzarella cut into small cubes

1 egg

1 cup Italian bread crumbs ( could go without if reallllyyyy trying to watch carbs )

one ( quarter )sautéed onion with two cloves of sautéed garlic

S&P

Oregano

Italian Seasoning

Garlic salt

Red pepper flakes

one jar of marinara sauce

Parm cheese

Procedure

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees

in a cast iron skillet start sautteeing your onion and garlic together with a little olive oil

while those are cooking, get out a large bowl and add your meat and spices. Then add your one egg and breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly. Once the onions are finished throw them in with the meat and fold gently. Take small balls of the meat mixure and press a mozzarella cube into each. Be sure and fold the edges so that the meat encompasses the cheese and its "stuffed" inside. 

over Med/High heat start placing the meatballs into the cast iron skillet and brown them on all sides. This is to help lock in the flavor when we are baking them. 

Once they are browned, pour your marinara sauce over them and top with the parm. Stick in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Done!!! Serve over zoodles or spaghetti :)

I mean how yummy do these look?? 

quiet time

I decided to do a post on "quiet time" because it is a part of my day that is so important to me. It feeds me, renews me, and gives me a positive perspective on life and how God wants me to live it. My quiet time is usually only 15-30 minutes depending on my day but I really try and do it each and every day. I start with my cup of coffee..then sit down and read some scripture. My favorite way to start is by reading the book " Jesus Calling"- if you have not yet heard of this book....friends, it is AMAZING! I read the corresponding day and the scripture placed beneath the passage. 

Got my coffee and ready to start my morning :)

This is an example of my Jesus Calling... with the corresponding scripture beneath.

Where I do my quiet time!

I love This Bible that my best friend Joanne told me about years ago! It is perfect for me and has lots of little study guides in the back for if you are not working on a separate bible study.

The very back of it with different studies

THIS book is the bible study that I am currently reading right now. It asks you to write down the truths in your life and really examine what God is asking you to do...it is amazing and allows you to focus on the positive and reminds you of our ever faithful God. The scripture is easy to read and understand and is easily intertwined with your life. I apply this book every day to the way I live and it is awesome!

This book is written by one of my favorite christian authors Priscilla Shirer. She is a real woman with real struggles and writes to you with the promise that God is ABLE. He is amazing, promising, ever faithful, and ABLE. I was so refreshed after reading this..I have lent it to two of my friends who are struggling right now and it has helped them tremendously! Even if you are not "struggling" with something in particular in your life right now this book was just a good read and acknowledgement of what God can do in your life...

I hope this was somewhat interesting and helpful to those looking for a way to spend quiet time! I certainly have felt a difference in my life after starting these little quiet times and feel tremendously blessed by everything God has done in my life..through the struggles and the triumph he has brought me such happiness and he can do that for you to if you let him in!

Busy people: Try and wake up an extra 10 minutes earlier than normal. During my work week I was waking up at 4:45 so that I could read and have a little alone time..now that it is summer I can be more flexible..

When I have babies my time will be limited again.. so even if your quiet time is "limited" try and find some sort of 10 minutes to read some scripture and just enjoy the quiet. 

a lot of time my prayer time happens in the car while driving.. I am a busy girl and am not home most of the time so sometimes my "quiet time" happens when I am traveling somewhere.. or when I was teaching it was almost always in the car. :) 

My favorite quote!! It is so true and I believe it with all of my heart! 

Life Lately

Life lately has been pretty busy!!! Brandon and I both have a full plate this summer with lots of exciting things going on for us!! I am so excited for my mom and dad to be moving close to us I just can't get over it!! My parents and I are extremely close and they always wanted to be near us and really love the area we live in .so here they come! I wish I could say I have been lounging by the pool every day with an amazing book but the rain we have been having here lately has put a big damper on my plans! Here is life lately for us

Here I am using my new kitchen aid- baking a cake for my daddy!

White Chocolate Rasberry with Cream cheese frosting!!!

Table setting-ignore the orange napkin..it left

Frosted cake! So pretty

Okay I am ready for my Fam to show!

Father's Day dinner..Filet, risotto stuffed tomatoes and salad

Shopping day where I tried this bling on..

Then Sunday Night our favorite neighbors all gathered together and hung out..I love our little neighborhood~

Just some of the girls..no makeup no fuss... love it!

I made this DIY cheeseboard here for everyone to enjoy!

And the weather continued to do this....

Storms comin' in!

That is our life lately!

Weekend at the Ranch

It is already Wednesday and I am just now getting around to blogging about the weekend. #slacker #summerprobs

We spent the weekend at Laguna Vista Ranch which is our family owned and operated resort/huntingbusiness..plus just a really fun place for us to get away. I am going to be doing a separate blog post on the amenities and services we offer ( we do weddings people!!! Mine was GORGEOUS there:)) 

Anyways....

while we were there we

Swam :)

Worked on Colt's retrieving in the lake

my family!

Swam some more...it is breathtaking during sunset

see :) 

Had a Fish Off..? LOL Girls Vs. Boys and GIRLS WON!

Some lovin' went on of course!

Blurry but that is my youngest brother and me

And she won...

Favorite toy on the ranch is this thing right here 

stopped by to say hello to our friends

they are so handsome

Just a fun and realixing weekend...no makeup, no fuss, no hassle!