fall picks

1. I'm loving burgundy for fall ... Probably because my best friend is getting married over Thanksgiving weekend and one of her colors is burgundy . So, I've had burgundy on the brain. This sweater is from La Garconne .

2. Another one of my fall picks is wine colored lips . I know ... A little daring , but really fun for a romantic date night . This particular is Revlon 'Wine Not' .

3. Plaid . We all saw this one coming . This plaid shirt is from American Eagle .

4. I'm so in love with this chunky cream sweater with gold detail . It's the perfect layering item . This is a Rachel Comey sweater ... Which is way way way out of my price range , but I'm in hopeful that there's a knock off somewhere out there .

5. Who doesn't love a good mug for those colder days ? Especially a cheery one . I love this one from West Elm .

6. These are probably my top pick for fall ! These practical and trendy booties are the it item for fall . They literally go with anything and everything . If you're going to invest in anything this fall , booties would be my pick ! You can find these booties by visiting Aldo's online shoe store .

7. Dark blue nails ... It's a great alternative to black . This is Butter London 'Royal Navy' .

8. Boyfriend jeans , boyfriend jeans , boyfriend jeans . Do I need to say more ? I found these ones on pinterest and I can't find where they're from . BUT , I know they sell them at pretty much every store .

9. I love floppy hats . This black one will add a little somethin' somethin' to any plain outfit . This hat is from Target .

10 . Who doesn't love a good bag for fall ? I really love this one from Madewell . The hunter green and brown are a good alternative to the usual black bag .

11. I love gold , I love studs , I love the renegade cluster bracelet from Stella & Dot . It goes with everything , and is sure to add a little edge to your basic stackable arm candy .

12. I can't tell you how antsy I am to wear a coat again . I love those cold weather months of being bundled up . This cream jacket has a fun shape , and I love the added belt . I found this jacket off of pinterest and can't find the original source . Hate it when that happens ...

What are your picks for fall ???

love on the brain

{ all sources from pinterest }

my favorite room

It's simple, cozy, and my favorite spot in our place. It's the place where I can lounge and read a book without any distractions. There's not a lot going on, just some basic essentials. I think a bedroom should be comfortable, and ours definitely is. I love it. 

....and I really love my antlers, thanks to my father-in-law. I'm kind of going through an antler phase.

a new kind of date night

On Saturday night, Brad and I went to dinner and a play at the local theatre. Brad's Uncle is into theatre, and he happened to be in a play this past weekend, so we thought it'd be a fun date. I hadn't been to a play since high school... And I'm pretty sure that Brad had never been to a play before. Well, that's a lie, he was in drama in middle school. I would pay big bucks to see him act in a play. 

Brad and I usually spend our Saturday nights eating ice cream for dinner and watching Netflix, so this opened up our eyes to a whole new kind of Saturday date night. Not that I don't love lounging around, eating a pint of ice cream, and watching hours of Law & Order with my husband, because I do... It's my favorite. But, it was really great getting out of the house Saturday night, and doing something out of the ordinary. We did of course end our night with Dairy Queen. How could we not? We're fat kids at heart, and no date night is complete without high fructose corn syrup and loads of sugar... Right?

a green smoothie that actually tastes good ... I promise !

Every time I try to be healthy and make a smoothie that is supposed to come out green, it always tastes disgusting. I try to be green and healthy, but let's be honest ... These taste buds can only handle so much . 

I've been determined to come up with an actually good tasting green smoothie for a long time . If I'm being completely honest here, the last 20 that I have made were complete failures . I mean complete and utter failures . I was plugging my nose and gulping the smoothies down just because I felt bad wasting it . Last night however, I thought I would give it another go .

And .... BAM ... Pure green goodness .

You can't even tell that you're drinking a "green" smoothie {which is what I was going for}.

Ingredients

-4 cups of spinach

-1 cup of coconut milk

-1/2 cup of greek yogurt {I used plain/non-fat}

-1.5 bananas {frozen and sliced}

-1.5 tablespoons of nut butter {I used a combination of peanut/almond/cashew butter ... You can find it at Target}

-a few ice cubes

Blend it all together and you've got yourself a tasty green smoothie !

sonic mug shots

You could say we've been a little obsessed with Sonic lately.

Even though Sonic is no new thing to us Oregonians, it is to me. I had my first Sonic experience in Utah. I know, shocking. Sunday after church, I pulled Brad's arm into making a pit stop at Sonic for one of their delicious Java Coolers. You guyyyyyys.... They are really, really good. So are their slushy ice cream things {I forgot what they're called}. Needless to say, we got a little hyper, and couldn't stop laughing and making fun of ourselves.

energy bites

All I have to say is thank the Lord for Pinterest, because most of my recipes are inspired from ones I find off of that site. I just do a little adapting to make them my own, and most importantly, to make them gluten-free. These little guys are the bomb diggity to say the least. They taste like no bake cookies, but healthier. Oh-my-goodness, they are SO good.

Energy Bites

{Recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven}

Ingredients

1 cup of gluten-free oats

2/3 cups of coconut flakes

1/2 cup of nut butter {I used peanut butter, but I think I'll try cashew butter next time}

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup chocolate chips {not so healthy, but they are the best part!}

1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon agave syrup {If you use honey, you only need 1/3 cup}

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, and mix together. Let the dough cool in the fridge for an hour. After an hour, create small bite size energy balls. I used a spoon to create an equal amount, then I rolled them into balls. Place them inside an air tight container, and they should be kept in the fridge.

an afternoon out on the lake

Saturday Brad and I spent the afternoon hanging out at a lake nearby. Apparently, everyone else had the same idea too. It was packed. It made for great people watching though, so I'm not complaining. We spent most of our time lounging in beach chairs at the edge of the lake, reading, snacking, and admiring the cute couple on the paddle board. Yeah, I know... I took a picture... Call me a creeper if you will, but it was too cute to pass up. Oh, and please notice how pale I am in the picture above... Thanks to the entire day spent in the sun, I now have a little more color [and a minor sun burn]. Brad's poor stomach looks like a lobster. But hey, no pain no gain... and in this case, I'll take the pain for a little color.

One more thing I wanted to point out... I'm bringing one-pieces back. I felt like a mom, but I do have to admit, they are way more comfortable than two-pieces!

living by the book - helpful tips for studying the Bible

I recently started reading, Living by the Book, which so far is a phenomenal tool for learning how to understand, enjoy, and study scripture.  The thing I love already about my job, is that these are the types of books I get to read and study to equip me for ministry.  I enjoy it so much, and I don't want to stop studying God's word. {But, it hasn't always been that way for me}. I still have times where it's hard for me to read, because 1. I don't know what to read. 2. I'm too busy. or 3. I just don't want to take the time to understand it. What's wrong with my lame excuses??? 

God's word, The Bible, was intended to be studied, enjoyed, and lived out.

"The study of the Bible is de rigueur for the the Christian. More than a duty, it provides protection for the daily battle, comfort for dashed hopes, and continuing education for a life that is worth living."

-Howard G. Hendricks / pg. 8

In this book, it points out six main reasons why Christ followers don't study the Bible...

1. Someone may question the Bible's relevance to real-life issues.

2. Someone might not know how to study the Bible... They may lack technique and basic skills.

3. Someone may be convinced that this Book is just for professionals, not laypeople, that it takes special training to understand it.

4. Studying the Bible may be a low priority {or no priority} especially with so many other demands begging for a persons time.

5. Some may have doubts about the Bible's reliability, and whether someone can ever really determine its meaning.

6. Someone might perceive Bible study as dreadfully boring and not worth their attention.

Often times, a person identifies with all six reasons at one time or another. It's okay to admit that. I am.

What I do know, is that the Bible is my number one tool, it's my daily bread. It provides protection in my daily battles. I need to be in God's word daily, and I enjoy it.

If you identify with any of those six reasons listed above, I would highly recommend reading this book.  It's been really helpful for me, and I know a lot of believers {and non-believers} struggle with understanding / studying the Bible. This book has been so motivational and reviving for my relationship with Christ and studying His word. 

diy: leather pocket shirt

Thanks to one of my favorite bloggers, Anna, from In Honor of Design, I was inspired to make this tee.

I had seen a similar shirt from Zara, but couldn't afford it, nor do I have a Zara near by {at least not one that I'm aware of}. So, thanks to Anna, I got creative and made my own version of the shirt with the leather pocket. I used brown leather instead of black, only because I didn't have black leather lying around, but for some weird reason I had some brown in my craft bins. I bought a simple grey v-neck from Target {I think it was $8}. The rest of the materials I had lying around. So, overall, my diy project only cost me $8 {not to bad}. Here's how I made the leather pocket shirt...

I wore mine this past weekend at the saturday market in SLC, click here to see how I styled it.

Happy stitching!

SLC saturday market

The Provo Saturday Market has nothing on the Salt Lake City Saturday Market. From here on out, I will be driving forty minutes north just to get a glass of that freshly squeezed mint limeade. My mouth is watering just thinking about that perfectly tart stuff. They squeezed the lime, added the mint, and shook it in a mason jar right in front of my eyes. Oh man, that stuff was worth every penny and then some. The only complaint I have from the day is that it was SO hot. My legs were a gooey hot mess from my lotion, and let's just say that wearing a grey tee wasn't the best choice. Other than the heat, it was the perfect day. I'm glad we were able to spend some quality time with my parents. I can't wait to explore more of Salt Lake, it has yet to disappoint me.

look who came for a visit

My parents, of course! How could they go more than a week without seeing us? :] I'm so glad they were able to come and visit and see where we are serving and living. They got in late Wednesday night, and left Sunday after church. I got to spend a lot of time with them, since Brad had doubles for football every day, and I start work on the 13th {which is today}! Thursday I showed them around Provo and we drove out to Sun Dance. Friday we went into Salt Lake, and later that night went to Brad's scrimmage. I'll save the best day {Saturday} for tomorrow. How do you like our matching leopard print pants? ;] Pretty sassy, I'd say.