Pinterest Boards

So as anyone who tries to read my blog knows I am not very good at posting.  So I am trying once again to post more often.  Today I want to share with you one of my major accomplishments on Pinterest.  I cleaned out and organized my board called Yum.  It is blank.  There is nothing on it at all.  I moved all the pins to new board based on whats in the recipe.  I also checked to make sure all the links work with actual recipes.  I have not decided yet if I am going to get rid of the board or use it to repin recipes that I have tried. Next I hope to work through my board For the Home.  Here is my list of boards so I can keep track of which ones I have cleaned up.   While making this list I learned a lot of things.  First I have a lot of boards and some of them are repeated.  I need to fix that ASAP.  Secondly I new to make or use more of my pins.  And Thirdly this is going to take some time.

Books Worth Reading

For the Home

Yum

quotable

Pretty Pictures

Wedding

Bathroom

DIY

Kitchen

Christmas

Master Bedroom

Outdoor

Laundry Room

cute

Saving Money

Plant Ideas

Maybe?

Children's room

Cleaning ideas

Garage

Family Traditions

Wreaths for my House

Dog Stuff

Living Room

For when I decide to get in shape

Main meals

Nursing

ABCs

Drinks

Baby(for the future)

Dips

Library

Bucket List

Homemade mixes

Snacks

Baby and toddler toys

Breakfast

Car

Hair

Vacation

TV room

Basement Someday

Kids activities

Stuff Adam could make

DIY hair flowers

Thanksgiving

Sewing

Craft room

Paper Crafts

Clothing

Gifts

Cookies

Tee Shirt Crafts

Dream house

Green Life

Camping

Food this week

Porch

DIY Jewelry

Motivation

DIY gifts

Stuff to do with Levi

DIY Baby

Party

Dr. Seuss

Garland

Salad

Meal planning

Smoothie love

Canning

Cookie Dough

Clean eating

Veggies

Meals June 3 to 9

Cheese

Lunch

Fish

Soups

Sides

Date Night

Potatoes

Muffins

Appetizers 

To Watch

Yogurt

Make it at home

Fun for Kids

Fourth of July

Address

Bora Bora

Flower crafts

Paris

DIY Jewelery

My Past

Art

Mason Jar Crafts

BWCA. My Favorite  place on earth

Bars

Cakes

Fruit

Candy

Blog roll 

Pies

Easter

Chocolate

Tips to eat Healthy

Buttoned Fun

Quilting  Bee Time

Chicken

Yarn

Jewelry for your Hair

Patterened Fun

Blankets--one of my Favs

Wall art to do at home

Living Green

Maps for the Home

Calendars

Menus

Framed Memories

Pin 5: Awww

Check out some more cute pictures!

Please comment what your favorite one is!

Pin 4: Quotable

Check out one of my boards

Pin 3:Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt

So something that I love is cookie dough in any way form or shape.  In college I once made a cupcake that had cookie dough in the middle and cookie dough frosting. It was amazing but you only needed one bite.  You can find that recipe here.  Today my pin features cookie dough and frozen yogurt.   I loved this recipe so much that I am thinking about making it again today.

Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt

• ½ cups Unsalted Butter, Softened                    
• ½ cups Packed Dark Brown Sugar
• ¼ cups Granulated Sugar                                   
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup All-purpose Flour                                   
• ¼ teaspoons Baking Soda
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ¾ cups Mini Chocolate Chips Or Chunks
• 1 cup Vanilla Yogurt

1. In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat until combined.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, soda and salt. Add the chocolate chips or chunks and stir.
3. Add the flour and chocolate mixture to butter mixture and fold in gently. Add yogurt and stir again.
4. Place in a container and cover with lid. Freeze until set, preferably overnight.
5. Cookie dough recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Bridal Edition Cookbook.
6. Makes about 2 cups.

The recipe comes from here.


With this recipe I followed it exactly except I did not add any chocolate because I did not have any in the house. The recipe was easy to follow and it was wonderful to eat.  Try some today while you are checking out all of my other pins.

Pin 2: 23 ways to eat clean

So I'm slightly ashamed to say that pin number 2 is more of a link than a pin that you can do, but in my defense I worked a night shift last night and another one tonight with class in between.  So my second pin is called 23 Ways to Eat Clean.  This is something dear to my heart. This year Adam and I are trying to eat healthier.  We are in the process of cutting out processed foods i.e. stuff that your great-grandmother couldn't buy.  It taking a while because we are trying to finishes what foods we have in the house first.  Both of us are enjoying the different foods we are getting to try and the trying to modify recipes so that they are clean.  What I like about this pin is it gives you visuals of how to make healthier choices.  So go check out 23 ways to eat clean and eat an apple while you are at it.   PS  feel free to ask me how eating clean is going at my house.   Tonight we are having chef salad.

Pin 1: Mosto cotto d’uva- Cooked grape must

So this pin came out of necessity. I opened up my fridge and saw a bag of grapes that was going old and knew that I had to make something out of them other wise by Saturday I would just throw them away.  So on to Pinterest I went and searched for grapes.  Most the the recipes I found I thought fresh grapes would work best for but this picture looked like a jar of preserves or something so that should work for old grapes right?

The original pin does not bring you to the website with the recipe but by doing a little digging I was able to fine the recipe with no problem.  It is from another blog called: Cibo, vino e parole.  My knowledge outside of the English language is limited but I do know that vino is wine in Italian, I think. While looking at the site I noticed that the whole website is in Italian.  Major bummer because I was looking forward to making what ever is in that jar.  But then I read "scroll down for English version."  Awesome back on track.   So here is my story of  making Cooked Grape Must.

Cooked grape must 

For ½ a liter of cooked grape must:

1 ½ l. fresh black grapes juice

2-3 tablespoons sugar (optional)

Look for freshly pressed, unfermented grape juice,  without skins and pips.

Pour the fresh grape  juice into a big pot.

 Put it on the fire to boil slowly and skim off any froth that rises.

Cook until the fresh juice is restricted to one third of its original volume (about 1 hour and a half for me) or until will have the consistency of syrup.

If you want, you can add almost at the end,  a few tablespoons of sugar to taste.

Turn off the heat and let cool in the pot. Strain and store in a tightly closed jar or  bottle .

Keep in a  in cool and dark place.

You can use grape syrup with cheese, to make  cookies, to add a bread dough  and drizzled over ice cream.

Read more: http://www.cibovinoeparole.com/2012/10/mosto-cotto-d-uva-grape-must-cooked.html#ixzz2TD8w3bxm

My first thought was I don't know what Grape Must is.  So I did what any 20 something would do; I googled it. Must (from the Latin vinum mustum, “young wine”) is freshly pressed fruit juice(usually grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. That really doesn't tell me to much but oh well.   I next looked at the ingredient list.  Fresh black grape juice.  I don't have that but I have maybe a pound of grapes.  I decided that would work just as well I would cook it down like I do chicken stock.   My next thought was to skin the grapes.  I skinned one of them and that took for ever; so instead I just cut the grapes in half.  After I had a pot of grape halves, I smashed them using a meat tenderizer.  Next I added a enough water so there would be some liquid in the pan along with a handful of sugar.  I set the burner to medium and let the grapes cook down.  After about an hour and a half I decided that the grapes had cooked down enough.   Next the recipe says to strain.  So I took my loose leave tea strainer to use to strain the grapes.  I got one small container of grape must but it is better than seeing the grapes go to waste.  I plan to use the must in sweetening homemade yogurt.  Adam is going to try it in his lunch tomorrow.  Hopefully it goes well.

One Year of Pinterest

So much of my wasted time on line is on Pinterest.  I love that site.  It makes me think  I am creative when I am really not. Because I spend so much time on Pinterest I have a lot of boards, 69 of them in fact, with 1, 639 pins on them.  That's a lot of stuff to look at or do.  I pin for many different reasons.  Because of all the time I spend on Pinterest and not so much on my blog; I have decided to do a series called One Year of Pinterest.  With this series I plan to do 365 post about different pins on my boards.  I have even created a special board so that you can find all of my pins featured in this blog.  That board is called: One Year of Pinterest.  Original I know.  With in this year I have several goals.  The first is to try new things and have fun with it.  The second is to write blog post more often.  With this I hope to become a better writer.  The third and final goal is to clean up my Pinterest boards.   I want to organize them and maybe make them more manageable.  I hope you join me on this year long journey.

One Month

So today we are three days shy of one month since our wedding day.  So how has one month of marriage been.  It has been wonderful.  Adam is the most amazing husband I could ever ask for.  He cooks, he cleans, he folds the laundry, he puts up with my stupid ideas, my crazy schedule. Me on the other hand. Im just surviving.  If I get out of bed and don't go back in I count it as a great day!  I except so much out of myself that I set myself up for failure.  Going to work is  a relief because I know what I am doing there.  When I check in next month I hope things are better.  Dont get me wrong. I love Adam. I just wish I was a better wife.

The mote and the beam

Today at Bible I was a very very bad person.  I literally tried to take the mote out of my sister's eye and forgot about the beam in mine Matthew 7:3-5. And the worst part about it right now is that I am too stubborn to go say I'm sorry for my behavior.  Its just that the issue we were talking about seems so black and white to me.
Looking at myself I have a ton of ideas of how my life will be after i get marriage.  You know the little white house, with fresh cookies in the kitchen every single day, happy husband, and perfect little children.  I do know that this will not happen but I have plans to try my best to make it happen. The thing that I know is I need to pray a lot.  The second thing is that Adam and I need to talk a lot about what we want in life and how to best worship God in our life.  My goal for now is to remove my beam from my eye and stop waiting until August

Bucket List

Things that I really want to do someday:
1. Visit Stonehenge
2. Visit Diggerland (Kent, England)
3. Visit Munich
4. Go to Washington DC
5. Visit all 50 states
6. Drive down Route 66--Adam says we need a classic car for this
7. Visit Napa Valley
8. Get Married---I get to cross this one off on August 3, 2012
9. Become a parent
10. Get a dog
11. Run a mile without stopping
12. Buy a home---should be crossing this off soon
13. Pay off my college debt by 2016
14. Make a knitted blanket or a quilt
15. Learn to play the piano
16. Play the clarinet
17. own the complete works of Beethhoven
18. Go to Boundary Waters with Adam
19. Get a new truck for Adam

Life (mainly a vent)

So I like it when life goes my way; how I planned it.  But I am slowly learning that you can not make life be how you want it to be. In my ideal world right now I would be typing this from the big white and red house sitting in an Adirondack chair on my front porch sipping sweet iced tea waiting for Adam coming home from work .   Once he arrives home I would make the final touches on supper that was created from my monthly meal plan.  This monthly meal plan allows me to only have to go shopping for food once a month.  I hope to grow this idea so that I only have to go shopping for everything once a month.
In my ideal world my family planner would be done.  Complete with addresses, people's birthdays, family calendar, my daily to do in it, cleaning list.  If someone had a question about our family they would go to that binder.

So that was part of a post from last week.  Most of the things in those two short paragraphs I am still frustrated about but I understand that what I want is not always going to happen.  I have noticed that my life motto maybe just be "if only this happens life will be better."  In reflection this life motto sucks.   I think that I'm going to try to live life in the moment.  I know that I love to have everything planned but I am learning that with Adam's family that is not possible.  I just pray that we (Adam and I) do not miss family functions or get togethers because I have planned something fun for the weekend or the night.

I have plans and dreams for us but sometimes I wonder if my dreams are too lofty.  I know they are dreams but I want to achieve some of them. I guess that my goal for this week.  Is live in the moment; be flexible and not complete freak out when things don't go as planned.

Emergency Phone Numbers: When in SORROW: John 14

John 14 (you should read all of it....I just picked some of my favorite verses)

• Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 
• I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 
• Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.  
• Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. \

When I read this chapter one theme sticks out at me: BELIEVE and this will give you comfort. I must believe that Christ is the TRUTH, the WAY, the the LIFE. Christ is the truth because he has fulfilled all the prophecies of him as our Savior.  He is the way that our prayers get to God as he intercedes for us every day sitting on the right hand of God. He is also the life because through his death our sins are paid for in full.

You'll be SOR-REE!

Adam and I just got back from a night on the town.  One of the stops that we made was Barnes and Nobles, one of my favorite stores, and I picked up what looks to be a wonderful book You'll Be Sor-ree!: A Guadalucanal Marie Rememebers the Pacific War.  This book interested me first because I love World War II history and secondly (and much more importantly) my grandpa and grandma both severed our Nation in the Pacific War.  On the back cover of the book there is a quote that I think sums up the feelings of many that serve our country "stood shoulder to shoulder with his Marine brothers to discover the inner strength and deep faith necessary to survive the dark, early days of WII in the Pacific."

Emergency Phone Numbers

I was given a list of Emergency Phone Numbers by a person at a nursing home that I use to work at.  I really admire this individual  very much.  She has suffer through so much in her life but yet always maintains a cheerful outlook on life.  I hope to post these numbers weekly on this blog with some thoughts from me sprinkled through out. 
Topics to look for:

• When in sorrow

• When people fail you

• If you want to be fruitful 

Dreams

I am dreaming about a day that is 4 months away.  The day that I can call you my husband. I dream for more than just that day.  I dream about our plans and hopes. I dream of the dog that we plan on getting; the children we hope to have; the house we want to remodel.  I dream of the memories that we will create. I know that life is not always going to be perfect but I know that between the two of us we can weather any storm.

My silly to do list

A little bit ago i posted my to do list.  This is what I got done:

Its not much shorter :(
-cloth online/do we what a rummage sale?
-sort paper work
-wedding planning
-taste of home -change address
-return books to work
-thank you notes --Sharon, Jean, Becky
-Baby gift for Anthony
-Pictures for Grandma
-insurance info
-$1,000 emgergency fund (not getting done for a long time)
-clean ring
- liscence
-plates
-clean stairs
-exercise plan
-birthdays/anniversary
-nursing book
-shopping/food list
-menu plans
-sewing project
-want list
-car care
- housing goals
-address book
- dentist
- eye doctor
-highlights for letter
-pictures off of camera

Taxes

They are done!  Now just wait until they show up in the bank account to spend! Plan: buy a house.

My to do list for this week ( or how long it takes for me to get done)
-cloth online/do we what a rummage sale?
-sort paper work
-wedding planning
-taste of home -change address
-return books to work
-thank you notes --Sharon, Jean, Becky
-Baby gift for Anthony
-Pictures for Grandma
-insurance info
-$1,000 emgergency fund (not getting done for a long time)
-clean ring
- liscence
-plates
-clean stairs
-exercise plan
-birthdays/anniversary
-nursing book
-shopping/food list
-menu plans
-sewing project
-want list
-car care
- housing goals
-address book
- dentist
- eye doctor
-highlights for letter
-pictures off of camera

March

This has been an amazing March probably the best March of my life.  We may be able to get a house this month.  I can not wait to have a place to live again.  A home to call my own. A place for Adam and I to make memories in--a place to call my our own.  I know that right now it does not look much right now but give us several years it will look wonderful.  But right now it is my home and that is all I need it to be

Leap Day

So how did I spend the day that happens once every four years.  At home sick. Lame I know.   I was at work for almost an hour and realized I needed to go home.  Sad day.  Once I got home I slept.  When I woke up though I got to read the most amazing letter from my dear friend Charity.  I wish I could see her more often but we live 5 hours away from each other.  I think about all my dear college friendships.  Charity, Andi, Brittany, Amanda, Morgan, Lisa.  I miss these girls so much.

New Year

So I realize that I am horrible at posting regularly on my blog.  I always have "good" excuses why I cant write.  So this year I'm not going to say that I will post regularly but I will try my best.
Today Adam and I came back from our first vacation together.  It was a wonderful time together.   We went to a friend's wedding.  It was a great time for us to reflect on what we want our wedding to be like.  It is so much fun planning our wedding but it is easy to get distracted from the really purpose of that joyous occasion.  A friend in in a letter to me said to remember that while planning my wedding to remember to plan for my marriage.   I have decided that  will be my  goal for this year planning for my marriage.