the gift of water.

Clean water is something that I take for granted.

Chris & I have been involved with Samaritan's Purse for many years mostly in regard to Operation Christmas Child (it's that time of year again & I'm soooo excited).

We have recently become aware of Samaritan's Purse "Turn on the Tap" project directed at providing resources for families in impoverished countries to have clean, drinkable water.

Click on the link to learn more about how you can be involved in this amazing cause...

burlap pillow wrap

I made a burlap pillow a month or so ago to sit on the chest opposite the foot of our bed.

I loved it, but it was just too boring.

I created this 'wrap' for it made from the same material I made one of the throw pillows on our bed. I added the gold buttons for a little flair!

It's just enough to spice it up a bit & was so easy!

i'm linking up to...

fall decor

I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures of my fall decor.

the mantle is simple, but i love it!

The vase filler is pine cones & wooden acorns from Hobby Lobby. There is a black sparrow on the left that you can't see very well & a bronze bird cage on the right (got it from the $1 bin @ Michael's...it was red & i sprayed it bronze).

I love fall at our house...

meet me in St. Louis

We had a wonderful weekend in St. Louis!

It was a bit chilly, in the high 50s-low 60s, & very windy but we're just thrilled that we're not dealing with 100 degree temps anymore so we enjoyed it!

We were able to see:

-the famous St. Louis arch & the awesome greenspace around it...we even rode up in the capsule train 630 feet to the top...what a ride! It's so much wider & taller than I ever imagined. We stayed on the 26th floor of the Millenium Hotel & when we woke up each morning we could see the sun rising over the river & behind the arch...gorgeous!

-The Museum of Westward Expansion which is an awesome free history museum beneath the arch. Chris loved it & just like always, he read every word of every display!

-Busch Stadium where the Cardinals beat the Rockies in the bottom of the 11th inning. It was "Stand for Stan day" at the ballpark to honor famous Cardinal, Stan Musial. It was so neat to see such a famous baseball player honored.

-the Mississippi River...alas, I have seen the mighty Mississippi. Unfortunately, it wasn't as mighty as I had imagined. Oh well, it was still nice to see!

-the Budweiser Clydesdale stable & some of their infamous horses...they're so tall & so pretty!

-the historic Old St. Louis Courthouse where the Dred Scott case was 1st heard.

So glad we took the time to get away & enjoy some time together!

st. louis bound!

By this time tomorrow we'll be on our way to St. Louis!
Looking foward to...

time away,
a Saturday afternoon Cardinals game,
seeing the mighty Mississippi River for the 1st time,
checking out the infamous arch,
not cooking (i really do love it, but i also love a break from it :-)),
fabulous fall weather (in the 60s),
cruising the city,
& most of all-time with my babe!

meet me in st. louis!

meatless meal #3...black bean lasagna

Thanks to Courtney for sharing this with us...

Black Bean Lasagna

9 lasagna noodles
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon of canola oil
2 cans of black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans of tomato paste
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, minced
1/4 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes
4 egg whites, beaten
15 oz. of reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of fresh parsley
2 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese

Prepare noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles.
Meanwhile, heat oil and saute garlic & onion over medium-heat until tender. Add tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, water, cilantro, & pepper flakes. Bring to boil. Reduce heat & simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Combine egg whites, ricotta, parmesan, & parsley.

Coat 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup of bean mixture onto bottom of dish. Top with 3 noodles. Cover with a 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 bean mixture, & shredded cheese. Repeat layers twice.

Cover & bake @ 350 for 3-35 minutes. Uncover & bake 10-15 more minutes until bubbly.
Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

delish!

up & running.

thanks to Hollie, my tumblr page is up & running...

it's totally fun...

check me out @ starrfaves!

p.s...

I can't believe i've forgotten to share a mouse update...
(drumroll, please)
We caught a mouse just a few days after i posted about the mouse drama.

It was quite a traumatic event for me, so i will not recount all of the details (you really don't want them anyway).

i'm so glad that Chris was here to handle the situation
i'm certainly hoping this one was the only one

our food is back in the pantry,
Chris' sweaters are back in the storage box,
& hopefully our cozy home is mouse-free.

i'm thankful for small blessings!

(p.s.s.---this is my 300th post!!!)

what's new?...

*Fall is coming...my decorations around the house say so, if only the day-time temperatures agreed. Loving the cool mornings though.

*We're taking a mini-trip to St. Louis the 1st weekend in October. We have tickets to the Saturday afternoon Cardinals game!!!...super exciting!!!

*I got an 8-pack of Bounty papertowels last week @CVS for $3 (with tax!)...it was on sale for $5.49, i had $1 manf. coupon & $2 in Register Rewards. i so love CVS & Walgreens.

*We've been running a good bit in the past few weeks...up to 3 miles, working on adding a bit of speed now. I'm so loving my iLuv iPod armband that I got FREE as a prize from ZoomPanel.

*This weekend is the Tennessee Arts & Crafts Association festival @ Centennial Park...i can't wait!

*We're enjoying our meatless meals so far...this week's meatless menu, Courtney's black bean lasagna.

*i'm headed to Hobby Lobby tomorrow...can't wait to check out their fall stuff!

no pantry, no problem!

I love a pantry...
in my book, it's a kitchen neccessity!

When we moved into our apartment in Durham as newlyweds, we had a small closet that we used as a pantry.
One of the drawing points to the house we bought in Durham was the awesome pantry which was huge with lots of built-in shelves.

So, when we moved into our cozy rental house here in Nashville, I was so disappointed that we had no pantry.
That coupled with the general lack of storage space led us to consider other options for a pantry.

Meet my mock pantry...

It's a black 5-shelf bookcase from Wal-Mart that my husband was kind enough to assemble for me. It sits in the open area just off of our kitchen & laundry closet. It was sort-of a wasted space anyway.

I didn't like the fact that the contents of my "pantry" were so exposed.
So, I found a dowel rod...painted it black...found some inexpensive material @ Hobby Lobby & sewed this curtain.
We keep it tied up & out of the way most of the time, but if anyone comes over, we usually close it up to fully hide our pantry goods.

It's not perfect, but it works!

I'm linking this idea up to...

meatless meal #2-veggie frittata

my second go at preparing a meatless meal...turned out even better than the 1st!

Veggie & Potato Frittata

1 medium zucchini, sliced thin

1 medium yellow squash, sliced thin

4-5 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced thin

6 eggs

1 cup of grated cheddar cheese

salt & pepper

Rinse zucchini & squash & mix in a colander with 1 teaspoon of salt. Toss well. Allow to drain for 30 minutes.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes & onions, turn the heat down to low & stir occassionally until the potatoes are soft, about 20-25 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high & cook potatoes until slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the skillet with a slotted spoon, but keep the skillet on the burner.

Pour the veggies out on a clean kitchen towel & pat dry. Add the veggies to the skillet & saute over medium-high heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the veggies & add to the bowl with potatoes & onions. Continue to leave the skillet on the burner.

Beat eggs with a dash of salt & pepper until well blended. Fold in potatoes & veggie mixture. Add cheese & mix well.

Preheat the oven to 350. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Pour in the mixture into the skillet and cook over medium-low heat without stirring until the bottom is set, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the top is set, about 10 minutes (check often).

Place a serving plate over the skillet & carefully invert so the frittata falls out of the pan.

Cut into wedges & serve.

enjoy...

meatless meal #1-pesto.

Here's the recipe for the delicious pesto we made this weekend:

Fresh Pesto

1 1/2 cups of fresh basil leaves, washed
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil (plus extra)
3 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Combine basil leaves, garlic, & pine nuts in food processor (or blender, which is what I used since we don't have a food processor...it worked fine). Process until finely chopped. Pour in olive oil and mix until a smooth paste forms. Add the cheese, salt & pepper and mix briefly.

Set aside for atleast 20 minutes to allow flavors to intensify. You can then serve immediately or freeze (my favorite part!). If freezing, place in an airtight container and pour additional olive oil over the top until pesto is completely covered & sealed off from air.

You can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week & in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Super easy & super yummy...enjoy!

deals, deals, deals...

I have run across some fabulous deals lately...

I love a good deal!

Like this dress I scored at Macy's...cute, huh?

It was regularly priced @ $119..I found it on the clearance rack for $59.50 & got to take an additional % off...I paid $35 for it!

Last week at Walgreens, I bought a tube of Colgate Advanced Whitening toothpaste on sale & had a coupon...I paid a grand total of $0.24!

I scored ground turkey @ Kroger last week for $1.00/pound! I've frozen it in preparation for fall, also known as chili season!

I found the most adorable Paula Deen thank-you notes @ Michaels. They're purple, green & white with a sweet little bird & they say "Thanks Y'all"...love them!!! Best part, I paid $0.77 for a pack of 8!

Hoping to score more note-worthy deals this week!

makings of a fabulous weekend...

enjoying Friday night dinner at the famous Loveless Cafe...i can't get over how amazing the biscuits & peach preserves were!

high temperatures on Saturday & Sunday of 78-82...I feel fall coming on!!!

chilling in my front porch rocking chair with coffee on a cool Saturday morning

browsing the neighborhood Farmer's Market Saturday morning taking in the cool air & the sounds of The Young Republics, my new favorite folk/bluegrass band

picking up this amazingly fresh basil at the Farmer's Market...we turned it into yummy pesto on Saturday afternoon!
the smell of our freshly mowed grass

taking in some football on Saturday...especially taking in UGA's 55-7 victory!

taking a walk across the Shelby Pedestrian Bridge Sunday afternoon taking in views like this...

enjoying my fresh gerberas & zinnias from the local flower shop...I could get used to fresh flowers in the house all the time!
finding Cheri a perfect birthday gift at Willow Tree, my favorite little local store

an extra day off to enjoy the weekend :-)

challenges.

Chris & I have recently challenged ourselves to change a few things about how we live...
I think we're up for the challenges!

(1) Eat atleast one meatless dinner meal/week---In an effort to eat healthier and just to eat less meat in general, we are trying out atleast one vegetarian dinner entree each week.
Last week, we made fresh pesto & for 2 nights ate whole grain pasta with pesto, pine nuts & fresh parmesan...delicious! I'm thinking of posting the recipe we try each week here on my blog.

(2) Stick to a grocery budget--- This is mostly a challenge for me. I've gotten good at using coupons & finding sales, but often this means that I spend the same amount of $ but get more stuff. I'm going to make an effort to save $ by shopping sales, using coupons, and buying less!
We're aiming for $50/week, so we'll see how it goes!

(3) Get in shape again--- I know, I know...this is such a cliche challenge, but we really mean it! We both have free access to the gyms at Vanderbilt & Belmont. We have fabulous parks & neighborhoods around to jog in. We just have to make it a priority to do it! So far, so good...I'm going to an hour-long spin class @ the gym on Monday nights, we're running atleast 3 nights a week, and I'm doing pilates or hitting up the gym another day each week.

(4) Floss--- You can't laugh...just after we moved I got on a kick about forming good habits. I decided that I would start with flossing. I've always been the kind that flosses once a week or so until the week of my dentist appointment in which I start flossing religiously (you know you do it too :-)). I've always wanted to be better at doing it, so I took to making it a habit. Now, I'm at almost 8 weeks & flossing strong! (To be entirely honest, I have forgotten 2 times in 8 weeks...oops!). It may seem small, but cementing this habit for me is proof that I can take other good behaviors & make them daily habits.

Stay tuned for updates on our progress towards meeting our challenges...