hibernating inside, when it's a blizzard out there.

{out our window}

I am guilty of baking too much, being anti-social, and only driving to and from work these past few weeks. This weather {I know, I talk about the weather too much} is insane. Last week there was freezing rain, and this week it's a literal blizzard. At least the inversion is getting a little better from the snowfall. I can't keep up with the weather reports, because it's vastly different day to day. 

The main thing I don't like about this weather is the anxiety and stress it causes me. 

The thing that worries me the most is Brad commuting to and from work every day. He leaves early in the morning, and comes home late at night. Worry {particularly worrying about people} is something that I struggle with. I worry about Brad commuting, I worry about my college students in general, I worry about my friends and family... Yeah, it's a never-ending worry list. Worry is something that the Lord has been trying to take off my shoulders for a long time. It's a constant battle of me wanting to be in control of all situations and giving it all over to Jesus. He wants it, I'm just too selfish and stubborn. I know that life is not in my control, and I have nothing to worry about, but sometimes... It's all-consuming. I'm thankful that the Word is full of verses about "... DO NOT WORRY...." wisdom. As soon as I read those words in the Bible, I breath a little lighter and worry a whole lot less. He must have known that lots of people {in particular women.... {Nelson women}} would be worriers. I'm sure that it drives Him crazy every time I doubt His power and control over all things. Because it drives my husband crazy, so I'm sure it drives God even more crazy.

My verse for today is...

 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

{Matthew 6:25-34}

gummy strawberries {100% strawberries}

These are the easiest gummy treats ever. And, they're nothing but strawberries, so you can snack guilt-free.

Take your strawberries...

Slice your strawberries into quarter pieces...

Lay the strawberries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 200 degrees for 3 hours...

ENJOY !

urban nester shop

... and she's up !

Be patient with me as I'm getting this shop started. There will be lots of new items coming and going, and once an item is gone, it's gone! Everything is one-of-a-kind, and I don't have multiples of anything. As it gets going [meaning... if it actually goes anywhere], I'll work on making multiples.

You can find my Urban Nester etsy shop here.

www.etsy.com/shop/urbannester

Let me know what you think ! I like positive feedback. Negative feedback is not welcome and will make me cry... I'm sensitive... Go easy on me, folks :]

today . . .

*It's my day off. Partayyy.

*All I want to do is arts and crafts {so I am}.

*I'm listening to the Death Cab for Cutie pandora station, and it's reminding me of high school.

*I went to the gym, and had zero motivation to run, so I walked mostly and ran a little bit.

*I went to Starbucks as my reward for going to the gym. There's something about someone making you an americano vs. three day old pot coffee. Okay, there's quite a difference.

*I'm going to dinner with my best girl friends. Heyyyyyy. Ladies night.

*I ate one two spoonfuls of chunky peanut butter {gosh, that stuff is good}.

*It's foggy outside, but 44 degrees. It feels like Oregon... and I like it.

*I want a baby... Until I hear the neighbors baby crying, and I quickly realize I don't think I'm ready.

*I'm thinking about my siblings, and how I want them to come visit {*hint *hint... Megan and Tyler... Yes, name dropping}.

*I really should do laundry and clean... But I don't want to.

*I got really cute tribal leggings and 2 pairs of $4 shoes at Forever 21. That place has hidden gems sometimes. Hopefully I'll get more than one wear out of them :]

*I watched Ellen. I laughed. A lot.

*I brain stormed my Etsy shop some more... I promise I'm launching it next week. PROMISE.

*I thought about how January was almost over... And I got really excited about that.

*Time to get ready for the day... It's 4. 

And this is why I love Fridays.

diy decorated plates

How fun are these???

I'm a little obsessed to say the least.

Once a month I host a college girls craft night at my place, and so {twist my arm}, I have experiment with crafts. This month, we are decorating porcelain plates, mugs, bowls, etc. 

Love, right? 

AND... get this... you only need TWO things to make them.

Decorate and doodle your heart out. These pens come in lots of different colors, but I'm boring and prefer black and white. But go crazy and have fun with colors and designs!

^^^^ My favorite doodle plate ^^^

Once you finish doodling, let them dry for 8 hours. After its been 8 hours, cook them in your oven at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Let them cool in the oven before removing. I made sure to use a pen that was dishwasher safe, so I can get lots of use out of these plates.

happy crafting !!!

staying in {valentines day} edition

1. out of the woods of oregon heart shaped cutting board

2. capri candle

3. west elm triangle throw

4. jcrew factory sequin heart sweater

5. west elm bamboo red handle slotted spoon

6. the Joy of gluten-free, sugar-free baking cookbook

7. heart measuring cups
8. west elm gold flatware

9. camp socks

Some years, the most romantic {and budget-friendly} valentines day is staying in. There's something about staying in, cooking together, lighting candles, and staying cozy. If you're going to stay in, it might be fun to add a few valentines day inspired goodies! I have been eyeing these items for a while, and they would make the perfect addition to your romantic day / night in. I mean, really, who doesn't love heart-shaped anything and everything??? And I really want to get my hands on that sugar-free/gluten-free cookbook!

happy love season!

<3

sundance film festival {and yes, a spotting of Matthew McConaughey... no big deal}

Before moving to Utah, I had heard about the Sundance Film Festival but thought that it was 1. In the summer. 2. At Sundance. and 3. Not this cool.

To clear things up... It's in the middle of the winter, it's at both Sundance and Park City, but mainly at Park City, and it's incredibly cool... Way too cool for me. 

I couldn't believe how many people were on main street in Park City! It was incredible. So many people from all over the world. Famous people walking up and down the street like it was no big deal. Cameras everywhere. And lots and lots of "hip" everything.

We got there around 4, and just hung out around main street. In the first five minutes I ran into Matthew McConaughey {no big deal}. We ate dinner, went to the Spur, and tried to keep our eyes out for celebrities. Apparently Paris Hilton, Ludacris, Adrien Grey, and Katherine Heigl were all on main street at the same time as us, but we missed them. Oh, and Bradley Cooper was at the Spur the night before us... Once again... No big deal... But I may or may not have sat where he sat. Just sayin'.

and now... the picture{s} you've all been waiting for...

Yes, I screamed like a fifteen year old girl. I was so close to him! Christy was laughing so hard she almost peed her pants, because I was acting like such a tween girl. I couldn't help it! I tried to act cool, but there was no way. All I could think about was "The Wedding Planner", the rest is history. The only downfall is that he's not his usual hunky self, due to the last role he played. He desperately needs to eat a hamburger... or twelve. Poor guy looked gauntly. Who cares though, it's Matthew McConaughey! In his dreamy state or not... I was starstruck.

sunday baking in my pjs {and another cookie recipe}

{what I look like 99.9% of the time when I'm in the kitchen. Lovely, I know.}

beanie - check.

comfy tee - check.

pj pants - check.

slippers - check.

I don't know what it is about baking / cooking in normal clothes, but I just can't. As soon as I'm home from church, work, or wherever I've been, I immediately change into something more comfy... Like this. Let's be real, no one wears heels in the kitchen, unless they're not really cooking... As I told you all last week, baking has been my therapy. Hasn't been the best for my waistline, but its been fantastic for my mind. Life has been a little more melancholy lately... Probably because it's January and let's be honest... Not a whole lot is going on this time of year. So, I've been baking. A lot. But I've been leaving out grains, sugar, and dairy. It's not that hard to go without. It's easier than I thought it would be. The only times it's a challenge is when I'm out and I smell cinnamon bears or something {dang cinnamon bears}, but I hear they have sugar free cinnamon bears that I'll have to give a try one of these days. Anyways, overall, it hasn't been too difficult.

When we got home from church, all I wanted to do was bake. I'm a crazy baking woman these days, what can I say??? Brad doesn't mind.

Here's what I baked today... A super easy no bake cookie with six ingredients.

::: ingredients :::

*1/3 cup honey

*1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa

*1/3 cup coconut oil

*1/3 cup almond butter

*1 teaspoon vanilla

*2 heaping cups of unsweetened coconut flakes

::: instructions :::

In a medium size sauce pan, melt the honey, cocoa, and oil together until it begins to boil. Let it boil for a little less than a minute, then immediately remove from the heat. Stir in the almond butter and vanilla. Then add in the coconut flakes. On a sheet of parchment paper, scoop spoon sizes of the dough onto a lined baking sheet. Cool in the fridge. Once cool, enjoy!

5 books to read before the summer

1--- In the Name of Jesus by Henry Nouwen

2--- Accidentail Pharisees by Osborne

3--- Know Why You Believe by Little

4--- Love Does by Bob Goff

5--- Multiply by Francis Chan

One of my New Years Resolutions for 2013 was to read more books. If I can get through all five of these books from cover to cover before June 2013, it'll be a miracle. It may not seem like much reading to most of you, but I'm not much of a reader... So to me, it's a high stack! I have to train myself to read instead of watch. It's important for my job that I stay on top of the newest books, so I picked the five that sparked my interest.

Some of you have asked me about devotionals or books that I recommend, and here are five that I'm either part way through or are antsy to start reading. All of these authors I highly recommend, whether it's one of these books or another one, you really can't go wrong with these Christian authors.

Any good books you're reading during these gloomy January days??

a cookie recipe - and a therapy session

Baking has been therapy for me lately. There's just something about January that makes you feel blah constantly. The hype of the holiday season is gone, most people have failed at their new years resolution. I have to admit I cracked and ate some candy at work when I forgot my lunch. I regret that decision entirely, but am not going to be hard on myself, because I WAS STARVING. I'm still doing the no refined sugar thing, but if I happen to have a piece of candy once a month, I'm not going to kill myself. The main thing is baking, cooking, and grocery shopping. I won't buy sugar, but if I'm at a birthday party and there's a bowl of starbursts on the table... don't mind if I do ;] Anyways, glad I cleared my conscious on that one... I had to admit that I ate sugar to someone... So why not the entire universe through the internet. To makes things clear, I'm still avoiding sugar. Phew, glad that's all on the table.

Anyways, back to baking being my therapy. 

Baking relieves a lot of stress for me. It's something that I can do on my own time, I can experiment, and it makes our apartment smell nice. All three positive reasons to bake in January.

It has also been fun baking without sugar. I'm learning a lot about natural sweeteners, and healthier substitutes. These cookies happen to be sugar free, dairy free, and gluten free. And no, they don't taste like cardboard, more like gooey goodness. Wham bam, thank you ma'am.

peanut butter coconut chocolate chip cookies

{makes 2 dozen cookies}

:::ingredients:::

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup applesauce

3/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

a dash of salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chocolate chips {semi sweet cocoa chips that are both dairy and sugar free}

:::instructions:::

*Cream together peanut butter, applesauce, and honey. Slowly add 1 egg at a time. Add all of the other ingredients {minus the coconut and chips} until well blended. Stir in the chips and coconut.

*Consume a few bites of dough.

*Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

*While cookies are baking, proceed to lick the entire bowl.

*YUM.

girl, you stink

{this is me, three days without a shower... not smelling too good. Oh, and did I mention I've been living in this sweater. Thank you Urban Outfitters for making my tribal print dreams come true by making a sweater that could be mistaken for a blanket. It rocks.}

Sometimes you don't realize how dependent you are on something until it's missing from your daily routine. Whether it's your car, your physical body being sick {I'm not going to talk about the flu, because I'm afraid I'll catch it through the internet}, your power, or fill-in-the-blank, you seem to be more dependent on that one thing once it's no longer at your convenience. Our water heater was broken last week, and that mean't no showers for the Kidds. We were stinky and greasy to say the least. But, it's not even just feeling clean that I enjoy {although I'm sure everyone close to me appreciates when I'm clean}, but it's standing in a steamy shower... Just standing... Thinking about things. It's my time to relax and reflect on my day, and not having that time affected me. I know I keep talking about this weather, and how it's hitting record lows out here {zero degrees most nights}, but anything warm is a piece of heaven and is extremely valuable. Losing such a miniscule thing, made me so thankful for all the things that I take for granted on a daily basis. I'm so thankful for a car with a heater, I'm grateful for an apartment with heat, I'm thankful for warm clothes, and once again I'm incredibly grateful for warm water. I didn't realize how dependent I was on warm water... Laundry, dishes, showers... Lots of things. So glad I don't smell anymore, and so glad I can stand in skin burning steam {isn't that the best? or is it just me who likes that?} Anyways, I won't be taking my warm water for granted any time soon.

snow shoeing in this winter wonderland

{He loves his jumping pictures}

{Does my hat always look like this from the side? Woah. Thanks for telling me guys... Photos don't lie}.

After days of being cooked up inside our apartment, it was time to get out. I decided to face my fears of venturing outside in this blizzard... And not only that, but venturing out with my incredibly greasy self. Our water heater wasn't working last week, which meant too many days without a shower, which meant not wanting to get too close to me. I thought I'd save a lot of people the awkwardness of not wanting to get too close for comfort.. Ya know what I mean? Luckily it's fixed, and I don't smell anymore. The water heater guys are my heroes.

We went snow shoeing near Provo Canyon over the weekend, and had a really great time. No one was out {due to the literal blizzard}. We were the only ones on the trail... Maybe because there was a sign near the trail that read, "Warning... Avalanche may occur." Meh. We didn't believe the sign, so we went ahead. 

For those of you who have never snow shoed {especially those of you who have never snow shoed on a well developed path}, it's quite the work out. Wowza! I can hardly feel my hips and legs. We went a total of 4 miles, but it felt like 24. It took us 2 hours, which means we were pacing 30 minute miles. Yikes. For the last 30 minutes or so Brad was twisting my arm to get pizza for dinner {he really only had to mention it once... I try to pretend like I have good self-control}. It was great motivation for making it back to the car before the sun went down. All I could think about was Malawis Sante Fe gluten-free pizza and my snow shoeing mph revved. 

sweet potato brownies

These. Are. Bomb.

Even my husband loves them. They are so moist, gooey, and yummy. Why have I not always made brownies like this?

Here's the secret to making them yummy WITHOUT gluten, dairy, OR sugar. I know... Sounds impossible, but it's really not. These are like I said... BOMB. 

::: Ingredients :::

*4 oz dark chocolate {I bought mine in the bulk section at Winco}

*1 large sweet potato or 2 medium sweet potatoes {cooked and skinned}

*1/4 cup honey

*3 eggs {I used egg whites}

*1/4 cup cocoa powder {I bought mine in the bulk section at Winco}

*1 tablespoon of vanilla

*1 tablespoon almond flour

*1 tablespoon coconut oil

*1 teaspoon baking soda

::: Instructions :::

*In a food processor {or high speed blender}, blend the sweet potato until it's mushy.

*In a microwave or double broiler, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil. I melted mine in the microwave, it took about a minute and a half, and I did 30 second intervals, while stirring in between.

*Combine all of the ingredients together and mix well.

*Grease a baking sheet with coconut oil, and pour the brownie mix evenly into a 8x11 baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

*Enjoy!

bible study blog

{ byu bible study blog}

I've had quite a few people ask me recently what I do for a living. To answer that question, I am the administrative assistant and director of college ministries at CenterPoint Church in Orem, Utah. I have the privilege of working primarily with BYU students who go to my church. I recently started a blog for my students who attend BYU, as a resource for our weekly bible studies, college group events, and other random things. Periodically throughout the week I meet with different groups of students and we study the bible. Our main bible study that meets once a week will be the content for this blog mostly. Since we only have about an hour to meet each week, we never finish talking or going through our study. I wanted to have a way to summarize the chunk of scripture we went over, the main points, questions, etc... That's where the blog comes in. I thought that it might be beneficial for some of you who are looking for a weekly study, or who are just curious about what's going on. Right now we are going through the book of Ephesians, so on the blog I included our study and some thoughts. Just wanted to let you guys in on what's going on over here... And what I have the privilege of doing on daily basis. I absolutely love my job, and I love that this is where God sent Brad and I. So, feel free to read the other blog if you think it'll benefit you and your walk with Christ. And please, only comment if it's beneficial and uplifting. This blog is primarily for my BYU students, but I thought it would also be beneficial to some of you wanting to go through and dissect the word of God.

This blog that I have now is primarily used as a creative outlet for me, my heart and soul however is in ministry and living a life for Jesus. God has given me a love for all things girl {interior design, fashion, cooking, etc.}, but more importantly a heart that desires to serve Him. I wanted to let you all in on what God's teaching me, and those around me. Thanks for being supportive and feel free to follow along.