insta-week recap.

it's friday! well.. not really.. but it is for me, i took tomorrow off! i'm so excited to have a four day weekend!

oh i can't wait! it's going to be so wonderful because we don't have any plans. so i hoping to get caught up on some fun things i'm working on and spend some quality time with mr. b before he starts school on tuesday.

so crazy how summer is almost over already.. even though it's really not summer for me as now i am a big girl, working a big girl job.

to sum up my week... i used the wonderful [picmonkey] again.

[i got lots of comments about it, if you don't know what it is.. or haven't checked it out yet - i encourage you to do so! i can't believe how much easier it is.. seriously. you will probably laugh if i tell you everything i went through to make a collage on photobucket.

if anyone else is still using photobucket for collages.. i urge you to stop and start using picmonkey! you won't regret it :)]

this week was a good week! the Lord is continuing to answer prayers, work in our lives and bless us beyond measure.

i didn't share about how the Lord used last weeks memory verse... but i will share a little here [not in depth]

'he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. by his wounds you have been healed.'

first peter two: twenty-four

this verse has done amazing things for me and my husband this week. it's a beauty to recognize that we have been healed by the wounds of Jesus.

it also brings up another verse...

romans 8:1 'there is therefore now no condemnation in those who are in Christ Jesus.'

continue to remember that condemnation is not from the Lord. this is an attack from the enemy wanting you to identify with what you've done instead of identifying with who you are in Christ!

this is powerful! we need to continue to remember these scriptures when lies creep in.

have a blessed thursday, friends!

thankful friday letters.

i am so thankful it's friday! there is so so so much i am thankful for. i decided to switch things up a little big and make my friday letters a one of pure thankfulness!

dear picmonkey - i feel so dumb.. but i am SO thankful for you! holy cow you've made photo collages an amazing thing! you help save me so much time. i can't believe i used to go through ridiculous loops to get a half-decent looking collage of photos. AND you have so many options! woohoo! i am so thankful for you!

dear mr. b - i am thankful that the swelling in your eye is going down. crazy allergic reactions.. but i'm thankful that you're okay :) and i'm thankful it wasn't any worse than that!

dear miss riss - i am so thankful for your friendship. i'm thankful that you came and surprised me this week at work with such encouraging words! i am so thankful for the ways the Lord is using you in my life and the lives of others. you're a wonderful, wonderful friend!

dear caffine - wow i am so thankful for you this week. pretty sure i've been drinking you all day long, every day. i don't think i could have made it through the week without you. for some reason i've been so tired and can't get myself awake. with you - i'm able :)

dear garden - i am so thankful for all the wonderful fresh veggies you're giving me lately! i got to enjoy you by yourself, and in meals. i even made guacamole with you [which is amazing!] AND mr. b made a compost so we're not just throwing rotten stuff out for no reason :) i love this 'going natural' stuff! thankful for you being able to provide meals for my family.

dear twitter - thanks so much for all the wonderful tweets people send out. it's awesome to hear other stuff people find or suggest so i could buy some kick booty cords!! [thanks ali @lifeonleroy!!!]

dear mia - thank you so much for listening to my [letter] to you last week! i'm so thankful that you also didn't dare go on the other side of the fence and be served as breakfast, lunch and dinner to the crazy neighbor dog. thankful you're alive and still just as crabby as always :)

dear mr. b - i am SO SO thankful for your help around the house, on projects, through struggles, and just having you in my life forever. you are the biggest blessing and i am so thankful for the man you are and how God is working in and through you!

dear Jesus - thank you for your word. thank you for your wisdom. thank you for answered prayers. thank you for dying for us on the cross. thank you for your new mercies each morning. thank you for your never-ending grace! you're amazing :)

xoxo.

honey pecan salmon salad.

my uncle caught salmon and gave it to us. well there was a lot and for those people who don't know.. fish doesn't stay good very long if it's fresh. you either have to eat it or freeze it. well the last thing we needed to do was put more stuff in our freezer so we end up forgetting about it and then it gets freezer burnt.

i made sure we made a couple different meals out of it while it was fresh to eat it up quickly.

here is one of the tasty meals we made [and just for the record.. i am NOT a fan of honey... but i really enjoyed this] i put it on a salad and it was delicious! the tomatoes and some of the lettuce are from our garden too!! it's so fun to use the fresh veggies we've been growing :)

honey pecan salmon
found: pinterest [cuisine board]
makes: 4 servings
time: at least 35 minutes [depends on how long you marinate the fish]

1/4 cup honey
4 tsp finely chopped pecans
1 tbs soy sauce
24oz. fresh salmon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. combine the honey, soy sauce and pecans in a gallon zip lock bag.
3. sprinkle salt and pepper on salmon and add to the bag.
4. let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes [i did for an hour to get more flavor]
5. once done marinating, place salmon into an oven safe dish. make sure to leave some of the marinate to put on while it's baking.
6. bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the pink is gone in the middle. half way through, add the rest of the marinate on the fish and finish baking.
7. while it's baking, prepare your salad or pasta - whatever you would like to enjoy it with! :)

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vinaigrette.

how was your weekend?

ours was very relaxing! it was so busy with the holiday right between two weekends so it was so enjoyable to relax in pools all weekend. and i didn't get burned this time! ;) it's about time huh? my in-laws have a pool - it's so awesome to relax in and the water was 86 degrees! talk about perfection!! as if their pool wasn't enough.. yesterday we headed over to my boss' house and we had a pool party over there too! unfortunately i don't have any photos because everyone was having water gun, water balloon and hose soaking fun. i didn't dare bring my camera around that.. so i forfeited capturing the fun so i could join in :) definitely worth it too!

now it's on to the week. i can't even think beyond today for what i have going on this week.. i honestly didn't even know what i wanted to share for today's MENU monday either until ohh like.. 15 minutes ago.

so here you are! don't you just love a great salad every now and then?? well i don't have a salad recipe to share.. but i do have one dang good dressing that goes with just about any salad! yes.. i said just about any salad!

it's so super easy and has a burst of flavor! you can even change flavors too!

here is the recipe

vinaigrette

found: my momma!

makes: a lot! it keeps well if you want to use it later too :)

time: 5 minutes

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

sugar

garlic scapes

lemon*

as you see.. i don't have measuring amounts for these ingredients.. it's really based on how you like it to taste.. i would recommend more oil than vinegar because it can get pretty tangy.

*you can use lemon, orange, lime.. any fruit that you can get juice from!

surprisingly there is an order on how to make it too.. 

1. pour oil into microwave safe cup

2. cut up garlic scapes and place in oil. [i've been cooking a lot with these and they are so amazing! i got them from the farmer's market and they bring so much flavor to your meals! - AND they're organic!]

3. place cup into microwave for about 10 seconds. [this step helps bring out the garlic flavoring into the oils]

4. pour in balsamic vinegar. you can even use a fruit [like peach] vinegar and it's really really good too!

5. add in sugar [approx. 1-2 spoon fulls; again depending on how sweet or tangy you like it]

6. squeeze in lemon or orange into the combination.

7. mix everything well and pour over your salad!

i promise it will bring awesome flavor!! it's a great homemade balsamic vinaigrette with some sass! :)

this is the oil and garlic scapes. garlic scapes are like a combination of fresh garlic and chives [definitely the best of both worlds!]

this is the peach vinegar. we have an amazing store downtown that has hundreds of vinegars and oils you can try and they are all so wonderful!!

i like sugar! :) i like it nice and sweet with some tang - and then it's not as hard on my poor tongue.

mix real well and there you go!

i hope this dressing will help spice up your next salad! :)

enjoy your monday evening friends!

- jennifer.

farmers market.

what a gorgeous saturday it's been here! not too hot, not too humid. just beautiful!

this morning mr. b had to work so my momma and i rode our bikes to the farmer's market and got some fresh goods! i love the farmers market. it's so awesome to shop fresh, organic and local! i love giving business to local businesses [especially the ones that have the same last name as me ;)]. we also stopped at one of our favorite shops right downtown. they have got some awesome awesome furniture! you definitely have to dig because the store is packed from floor to ceiling though. i just go in there for ideas, and then find things at garage sales and estate sales and make it myself so it doesn't cost me as much :) and then i can share the tutorials on here so you know how to get the same look for less too! isn't it great?

speaking of sales.. tomorrow we are going to an awesome antique market and i've got some wonderful ideas in mind so i'm keeping my eyes open for some specific things. it's my first time going - i'm pumped!

here are some photos from this morning.

my momma and me getting ready to head out. 

aren't these gorgeous?? they are now giving lots of color and beauty to our dining room table!

isn't my momma just oh so pretty?? she's pretty amazing too!! i've got lots and lots of love for my momma!!

after the farmer's market, i went over to my mom's private beach and we busted out her big floating raft and relaxed for a couple hours and made a list for tomorrow's adventure! can you tell i'm excited?? :)

how was your saturday?

- jennifer

get my workout on.

well.. not quite.. i wish i was getting my workout on. instead it's more like the complete opposite. so that is why you wonderful ladies are going to help me! right? right!

i need to figure out something i can do that is enjoyable.. that is just how i am.. if i don't like it or enjoy it.. i don't wanna do it.  

i don't like running and i have really bad joints.. but i do like walking, rollerblading, biking [on [this] awesome ride] and the such.

i would rather work out in the morning. i am a total morning person, but i don't have a ton of time.. i could make it work if i work out at home. 

not going to lie.. i am afraid of gyms. the only way i would attend a gym to work out is if i had a friend or if my best friend, m, worked there and was my personal trainer :) she pretty much rocks when it comes to the whole workout thing!

let me remind you.. i am not a workeroutter. i never have been and never will be hope to be one soon! like i said in my first [friday's letters] i wish my body would do it's exercise while i'm sleeping. but since that ain't ever gonna happen i guess i gotta start doin' somethin'.

i will also share with you what i'm currently doing.. nothing i sit on an exercise ball at work! but this has done just the opposite of what i was expecting. a friend of mine suggested that i sit on an exercise ball to not only help my posture but because it works out your core while at work! this sounds perfect right? well nothing ever works for me like that.. i couldn't possibly sit on a ball and get fit. or maybe i could and i'm sitting on it wrong? anyways.. so i have been sitting on this ball for about 2 months and i come home and tell mr. b i feel like my butt and thighs are getting bigger. he tells me i'm not and that i look good. well - i kid you not.. i came home probably 3 or 4 days later and must have had the right pants on because i stopped him dead in his tracks and he said wow! your butt is getting bigger... and i like it!

well well well... fancy for him. but not for me! if it was muscle i'm adding.. that would be one thing, but it's not.. so i put the ball aside for a couple weeks to see if it's the ball or sitting behind a desk staring at a computer all day my new job that's changing my figure, energy levels and metabolism.

so, here i am.. looking for suggestions, ideas, tips, whatever you're willing to give me!

what workouts do you do? what would you suggest for me? what do you like that really works? videos/dvds? 

on a fun note: look at my tomatoes that are starting to come in!!!! i am SO excited!!! aren't they cute?!? just some babies right now. and i saw a pepper starting to come in! :) :) 

thanks for your wonderful willingness to make this gal a healthy one! :)

- jennifer

garden.

it was another gorgeous day here today! it wasn't too super hot.. and the humidity was very low so it was wonderful! heading into memorial day weekend we are supposed to have some wonderful wonderful weather! i'm hoping it's nice just a little south of us because mr. b. and i are going on a youth group trip to ride some awesome fun roller coasters!

as i mentioned earlier.. this past weekend we did lots of stuff outside to help beautify our humble abode. the fun thing i did was started our very first garden! now.. i will tell you i am a total amateur about this stuff.. so if there is wisdom and knowledge from any of you garden growers.. here i am! teach me! :) and until someone helps.. i guess we'll see how things grow!!

i started out kind of small. our home is not our last home. this is a perfect house for us two and a wonderful amount of space for newlyweds. the downfall of this home.. mainly location... we are in sun alley a shade pit!!! this past weekend i spent my saturday scoping and taking mental note of what areas get sun and for how many hours. i started with my pots on one side of the house, but realized i found a better spot that gets ALMOST 5 hours of sun and it's like.. the good sun! from approx. 11am-3pm and then it picks back up another hour-ish from 6pm-7pm.

please ignore the grass - we're in the process of re-growing that too! :)

and there is our little garden! small and sweet! we have lots of wonderful things that will be coming up hopefully!

here is our list of garden goodies!

- tomatoes (grape, roma, beef steak)

- banana peppers

- green peppers

- purple peppers

- jalapeño peppers

- lettuce

- basil

- cilantro

- butternut squash

so ideally.. like i said.. this wouldn't be my dream garden - those are on my pinterest board here if you're interested to see what i envision for a future garden! but until then, the pots and limited amount of ground coverage will do :)

i feel like i am making notes about things i want in our future home that we don't have here! 2 sinks in the bathroom, 2 stall garage, a big ol cabinet for my pots and pans, large space for garden... and the list keeps growing! :) pinterest helps a lot with that too..!!

do you have a garden? what are you growing? any helpful tips for this first timer??

have a tremendous tuesday!!

- jennifer