I’ve been sharing a lot of our cooking on Instagram, lately.  I had someone on Facebook ask about one, so I thought I’d share the recipe here.

We don’t get indulge in shrimp often, around here.  However, when we do, we get a bag big enough to last over two or three meals.  For one of those meals, I drew inspiration from my herb garden.

I threw some chopped onion, minced garlic, olive oil and minced fresh Asian Basil into a skillet to caramelize as I shelled my shrimp.  Then I added the shrimp followed by a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice.  Once my shrimp was done, I added generous servings to a bed of white rice.

We ate every last bite.

What sort of fresh ingredients have you been using most, lately?

No, not Christmas in July, but I am making a list.  Though it may not be Jesus’ birthday, it is time for mine.  August 1st is just around the corner.  Along with that is my shiny new job.

I haven’t had a job outside the home {other than school} in a little over a year.  That meant lots of jeans, t-shirts, and leggings.  When I traded in my life as a working woman for one of a full time mama/student, I also traded in my shopping allowance and a lot of my efforts to look anything other than comfortable.

With the power of these two events combined, I have been lucky enough to be gifted with a personal shopping spree to refresh my professional wardrobe. I. am. ecstatic. Not to mention thankfully blessed.

Being the die hard list maker I am, I’ve been organizing my shopping trip.  Creating a sort of mental list and needs.  This also allows me to plan ahead while shopping, in order to get the most out of my dollar.  I may not be able to get everything on the list, but I will keep an eye for good deals specifically on these.  I like to buy some what classic pieces with which I can mix up with each other and existing pieces to create more outfits.

Note my dress code for the salon: mostly black, white and/or gray.  Jeans allowed in these colors.  I can accessorize and wear shoes with color.  I need to dress professional, but take into mind my industry {I’m leading a salon}.  I’d like to be some what stylish, yet sophisticated and classy.

Though the temperatures show no sign of dropping too soon, I plan to shop with the coming seasons in mind.  I can mix these right in with what my current collection.

Sources:
1Target  2Charlotte Russe 3Target 4Style by Marina  5Charlotte Russe  6H&M 7Target  8Blowfish Shoes 9Bamboo Shoes 

I’ve been pinning like crazy, to my Style board.  I’m crazy over plaid and/or wool blazers.  Also, shoes.  Always shoes.  Being that I won’t be working behind the chair, my feet will be able to manage wedges or a chunky heel, more often.

Though we still have a couple months left of Summe weather, what fashion trend are you most looking forward to this Fall?

Hey there, darlin’! How are the summer days treating you?  Mine have been well.  Very well.  However, I feel them slipping away.

This is officially my last week of summer break.  My baby little lady isn’t even here to share it with me.  Sad face, indeed.  Instead, I’m filling this week with lots of solo coffee drinking, Mad Men, errands, chores grown up friends and spouse time.  Lilie Jo is away at her father’s for two weeks and I start a new job Monday.

This is new news here.  I held off sharing any details about it for fear of another let down.  I know that’s not a positive thing to say, which I usually try to stear clear of, but its how I truly felt.  I start Monday as a salon manager at JC Penney Salon.  I am ecstatic and also nervous.  I’m going back to work full time and intend to try to do that with a full time school schedule, this Fall, as well.

I know it will be hard and there will be little room for play, but with my supportive husband and a big new planner, I’m ready to give it my all.

My goal is to take the JC Penney Salon, here in Bowling Green, and turn it around.  They’ve been without a manager for about a year and were already in bad shape even then.  Bad enough that I only lasted four months as a stylist there when we first relocated.  I’ve never held a manager or leader position quite like this, but I do feel like I’m a better candidate now than I was a year ago.

I always talk about how fast children grow and change, yet I’m not sure that speed is limited to just children.  We just don’t see it with our eyes, as much, in adults.  As much as I feel I have grown and changed over the past seven years, its sometimes surprising to see its still happening.  The growth and change never stopped.

Anyway, here I am babbling.

I really wrote to you to share a new print.  My lovely cousin, Lacey, suggested I create something to go with Colossians 3:12-17.  It seemed impossible to create anything as clever as this one.  But I put my pencil to the paper and started brainstorming.

I don’t think its quite as clever or cute, but this is my version. Print, Pin and do what you like with it.  It can be printed as large as 11”x8”.

To finish my posts sharing about the town of Arthur, I thought I would invite someone in who really knew the town: my stepmom.  Teeyl was born and raised in the community and so I figured she could probably tell you about it better than I.  So please give a warm southern welcome to my lovely mid-western step-mother, Teeyl.

Growing up in a town with a population of 120 in the 70s and 80s was a unique experience. We lived on a ranch raising cattle, chickens and horses. My dad and brother rodeoed both amature and professionally. My sister rodeoed all through high school and college and my mom taught art and decorated Arthur homes with her student’s artwork for 20 years.  We were fairly self sufficient between the beef and my mom’s enormous garden.

We were always busy, whether we were helping mom or dad or the neighbors or participating in school functions. And when we tried to be sneaky behind our parent’s back, a neighbor always set us straight or informed our folks. This amazing village truly raised ALL children.

My kindergarten through 2nd grade years took place in a single wide trailor with one teacher, Mrs. Sizer. My class consisted of myself and a brilliant girl named Marjorie. She even napped better than me! In those days kindergarten lasted a semester and my parents sent me second semester 5 days a week.

I attended the “big white school house” grades 3 – 8. It was divided in half with grades 3-5 in the south room taught by Mrs. Helmer and grades 6-8 in the north room taught by Mrs. Corfield.

When we reached high school everyone participated in everything no matter your talent level. We simply needed numbers.  Arthur County H.S. had football/volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter and track in the spring. After sports practice we all were involved in theatrical plays and during the school day we all participated in choir and band.

I graduated with 10 other classmates and we have all moved on to be successful in our own realms because this little village wouldn’t accept anything less.

Even though I would never move back to this small town because I’m too accustomed to the big city comforts, I am very proud to say I grew up in Arthur, Nebraska!

I wanted to tell you about someone.  He’s quite possibly my oldest friend {minus cousins}.  This is Snowball.  We’ve been friends since my ninth birthday.

My Papaw {an old cowboy from Nebraska} called me up and asked me what I wanted for my birthday.  We’d be visiting soon and he wanted to have it ready.  Nine-year-old little me knew exactly what she wanted: a solid white cat to call ‘Snowball.’  Papaw told me I would have just that.

When our conversation ended, Teeyl got on the phone and fussed at him for his promise.  She told him our landlord wouldn’t allow another animal and that is would be best to forget the whole idea.

But you never met my Papaw.

When we arrived for our yearly visit, Papaw led me out to the barn, first thing.  He had not just one cat, but three.  Two were orange and white, playful and friendly.  The third was shy and hidden amongst the feed barrels.  As everyone went back to their welcomes, I managed to coax the little guy out.  He was a solid white little ball of fur.  As a storm blew in, I bundled the little guy up into the bib of my overalls and headed for the house.

We’ve been pals ever since.

Snowball is 18 years old this year.  He resides back in his home state with my Dad and Teeyl.  My heart felt a twinge at saying goodbye to him when our last visit was over.  I made sure to say it with extra meaning and affection.  I fear I never know when it will be the last.  His health is fair, but his years are long.

He’s definitely one of the family.  The oldest of three cats {not the two prior mentioned}.  But I won’t lie, he’s the best cat I’ve ever seen or owned.  Loyal to the bone.

{Revised 2-7-13: We sent Snowball off the the big kitty afterlife a little over a week ago. He lived to be 18, almost 19, years old. That’s a really long time for a cat. My parents held onto him until it was obvious he just wasn’t comfortable any more. Without lots of medicines and pain relief, he just wasn’t going to make it.  And we didn’t want to try to force him through it..  Saying goodbye was a lot harder than I expected, being 10 hours away.}

In the sand hills of western Nebraska, is a quaint little town village called Arthur.  Its home of about 140 people {the highest yet} and the nation’s smallest courthouse.  The residents use well water and old fashion windmills sprinkle the horizon.

Arthur is a town of six man football and cowboys.  The sandy roads are home of a “tavern” open to all ages and the historic church built of straw bails.  They are lucky enough to have their own public pool, but are forced to close it a few days a week due to a lack of life guards on staff.

They even have a fancy little hotel.  It might not have five stars or A/C, but its better than making the 45 minute drive to Ogallala each night.

I always enjoy my visits to to the town nestled in the hills.  Life seems more quite, simple and slow.  At least for us visitors, anyway.  Its refreshing and a great place to unwind and gather your thoughts.

I’ll share more photos another day.

Hello, there, honey-darlin’.  I’m back from my Nebraskan vacation.  Really, we were just visiting family.  Most times, though, that turns out to be more refreshing and inspiring than visiting some sort of exotic getaway destination.

I left my computer at home to make myself take a much needed break from the constant process of brainstorming and planning which seems to never end inside my head.  And I survived.  *shew*

I came home with more than the longing to be back with that precious bunch.  I brought new drive and vision, along with me.  I find myself, once again, thirsty for new inspiration and adventure.  I’ve been cleaning out my blog and twitter feeds to replace them with fresh perspective and information.  I’m planning and hoping for new projects.

New things are happening, around here.

My sweet little lady is quickly approaching her fifth birthday and the start of kindergarten.  More on that in a later post, I’m sure.

Billy has a wonderful new job, full of promise, and has also accepted the position as our Pastor’s new assistant.  The latter is voluntary only, but will no doubt pay off in other ways.  Real Life Church has been such a blessing for this family. I couldn’t be more proud of him and happy for the opportunities laid before him.  Its almost like I came home to a new man.  Perhaps the time away was beneficial for us both?

Anyway, I’m prouder than ever to be his wife.  I’m also very much enjoying this mindset I’m currently in.  I hope it lingers for a while.  What a wonderful feeling, indeed.

What inspires you, lately??

Curtis was a school-age friend of my little brother that carried over to adulthood.  His parents grew up in the same small country community as ours.  Little did we know, Ariel, my little sister, held a secret crush for the family’s favorite friend.  Ariel and Curtis started dating around the same time as Billy and I {Summer 2009}.  Because of how crazy they were about each other, no one was shocked {or upset} when he proposed.

They both glowed with happiness and excitement on their wedding day.  I’m so incredibly happy for them both.  I pray for happiness, communication, dedication and compromise in their relationship forever.

Friends, I’m so excited to host a very inspiring guest post from a strong woman and mother.  Please give a warm southern welcome to Heather.

I wasn’t prepared for the storm. When my daughter was born on August 4, 2005, my life appeared to be perfect. How could I think otherwise? I had my parents, in-laws, and friends all around me to help greet my little one’s entrance into the world.

Storms are like that sometimes. They begin with just a few dark clouds, but instead of breaking up, they continue to grow. That’s how my life was. I went back to work, but I didn’t feel well. I was exhausted and having trouble breathing, so I went to see my doctor. After a series of tests, I was diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer on November 21, 2005. It was only 3-1/2 months since Lily came into our lives. The type of cancer I had was pleural mesothelioma. It is caused by asbestos exposure and affects the lining of the lungs. Apparently, I had been exposed about 30 years earlier as a child.

The doctor gave me about 15 months to live, but I couldn’t do that to my husband and child. I had to help myself for them. In early February we left Lily with my parents in South Dakota and flew to Boston where I underwent surgery to remove my left lung. I spent 18 days in the hospital and another two months in recovery before I began chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

One of the realities about being so ill is that it shows you who your friends are. Many people I thought would be there took off and others whom I didn’t expect to see gave us their full support. Kids I babysat as a teenager returned the favor and watched Lily while my parents worked. People I went to church with surrounded my parents and gave them the love and support they needed. In Boston, I made new friends with people who were going through the same thing I was.

One of the most difficult things for me was watching my baby grow from a distance. My mother emailed me photographs and my husband printed them off, but it was hard not to cry. I wasn’t there to deal with the bottles or to see Lily scoot. Yet, I knew I was fighting this fight for her. Cancer can be funny that way. It’s a storm that no one ever expects, but there are many good and loving things that come along with the bad. My daughter, my husband, my new friends, and my parents are a few of the things I’m most grateful for.

Heather Von St James is a 43-year-old wife and mother. Upon her diagnosis of mesothelioma, she vowed to be a source of hope for other patients who found themselves with the same diagnosis. Now, over 6 years later, her story has been helping people all over the globe. She continues her advocacy and awareness work by blogging, speaking and sharing her message of hope and healing with others. Check out her story at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog.

Welcome to round three of the wedding photos.  Today, I’m sharing photos of the whole wedding party {minus the flower girl}. I’ve just thrown a few of my favorites together, here, for you to look through.

Be sure to keep a close watch on the blog.  I cannot wait to share the photos of the couple together.  There’s so many, I might just have to break it up into two more parts.  You might even want to subscribe by email just to make sure you don’t miss out on these babies.