High Five For Friday

I'm so thankful and excited for today!  I really needed the weekend to get here!  It's been a pretty busy week for me.  I have a lot going on at work right now and I'm just thankful for a break.  I'm linking up with Lauren from Lauren Elizabeth.  Here are the highlights from my week:

1. My puppy.  I really don't need to say anymore than that.  She is perfect and adorable.

2.  Quiet time.  I have been having some great quiet times this week.  I'm studying Proverbs 31 and I am learning so much!

3. New desk.  Last weekend we bought a desk!  We really needed a desk for our office.  We weren't able to do much in there until we got a desk so this was a very exciting day.  This desk was in great shape and was only $30.  The desk isn't set in the spot we have it now.  I'm still in the process of setting it all up, but this is what it looks like put together.

4.  Sunsets.  I love the sunsets around here.

5.  The weekend.  My husband got scheduled for 9-6 today so we will be able to start our weekend tonight a little earlier than normal!  We are planning to have a fun date night.

Coffee Station

Coffee stations have become an obsession of mine.  Ever since the first time I saw one on Pinterest, I couldn't stop thinking about having one in my apartment.  In our old apartment there was no space for one so one of the first things I thought about as we were looking at apartments here in Lynchburg was, "Where will my coffee station go?".  Is this a dumb way to pick an apartment?  Probably.  Did I care?  Nope, not at all.


The apartment we ended up renting doesn't necessarily have the best space for a coffee station, but we made it work.  We have been looking and looking for what I was picturing for my coffee stand.  I had bought a beautiful off white shelf that I knew would look perfect over our coffee maker.  I just wasn't quite sure what we would find for a stand.  


As we were yard sale shopping a few weeks back, we stumbled upon an old microwave cart.  They were selling it for $8.  Austin and I decided we couldn't go wrong with that price.  Even though it wasn't exactly what I had in mind, for $8 this stand would be great for now.  And if we come along something better, I wouldn't feel bad replacing this cart.  But for now, we have  great coffee station that I am so happy with!  

This is the stand we found when we were at the yard sale.

As soon as I got the stand in to the apartment, I put a table cloth on.  I'm still looking for the right one, but this will o for now.  I also had the perfect basket to store all of our extra K-cups.

We had everything set up except my favorite shelf in this one.  It was a really heavy shelf so I had to wait for my husband to get home to hang that up.

Here is the finished product!  I really like how it turned out!  Its a great size for our apartment and I love how he shelf looks over the stand.

I am loving our new coffee station.  I'm so glad we waited until we found such a great deal on some great pieces!  I am definitely learning the benefits of being patient when it comes to developing our home.

Yard Sales

I love a good yard sale.  There are few things more fun and exciting that finding treasures in other peoples' "junk". 

Two weekends ago, my hubby and I had some great finds.  The day started at 6 AM for me.  After getting ready in record time, an hour, (which is sadly a record for me) Austin and I left to see what we could find.  
For the first 45 minutes we were pretty discouraged.  We didn't even get out of the car.  We continued to drive past yard sale after yard sale, knowing they didn't have what we wanted.  Our goal right now is to find some new furniture pieces; small things like a craft table for the office and a stand for the coffee station that I have been dreaming about for months.  

We finally came upon a yard sale that we thought maybe, just maybe, we would find something.  It was a great yard sale and it's a good thing we didn't stay long.  I'm sure I could have found too many great things there.  I was thrilled to find a microwave stand that I thought could work pretty well for our coffee station.  It's not in perfect shape, but for $8 we couldn't go wrong!  Then I found a cute hanging flower basket filled with pretty purple flowers.  It needs a little cleaning but for $2, it was a great find!

We moved on to the next yard sale.  This one was at a large church in our area and it was huge!  I wish we had had more time to spend there.  Unfortunately, Austin had to go in to work in just a little bit.  Our time there was short, but we found a cute stand for $5 that I can use to put some of my tea cup collection on display.  Our car was filled at this point anyway.  

Austin headed to work and I unloaded our new treasures.  I grabbed my keys and headed back out.  I found one more yard sale where I snagged a cute hanging shelf for the wall for only $2.  

One of my new goals is to paint some furniture.  I haven't ever done this before but I have a few pieces that could use some TLC.  My $2 hanging shelf might be my first project.


This past weekend my mom and sister were in town.  We were able to so some more treasure hunting while they were here.  We found some great lamps for $2 each.  My hubby even got me one for $1.  I also found some cute corner shelves.  They came in a set of three and I was able to snag them for $2!


Going to yard sales is such a great thing to do!  It's a fun way to add some new-to-you pieces to your home for a great price.  

Chicken Enchiladas

     One meal that I love to make is chicken enchiladas.  It is easy and so yummy!  It's a great meal to make when having people over as well as just for the family.  It also makes great left-overs.
Here is how I make chicken enchiladas.

Ingredients:

• Chicken (seasoned with onion powder, salt, and pepper) 
• Dry Enchilada mix
• An 8 oz can of tomato sauce
• 8 Taco Shells (the best brand is Mission; once we had those we never went back)
• A 2 cup bag of Mexican cheese
• Rice

Directions:

1.  I begin by cutting up the chicken into pieces.  A heat up a little bit of vegetable oil in a frying pan while I'm cutting up the chicken.  I then cook the chicken in the pan with onion, salt and pepper.

2.  Once the chicken is cooked and still hot, I use the most wonderful method of shredding chicken.  I found this idea on Pinteret and I'm so thankful I did.  I put it in my Kitchen Aid mixer and let the mixer do the work!  Within about 30 to a minute I have perfectly shredded chicken.  

3.  While the chicken is cooking, in a small sauce pan I mix the enchilada mix, 8 oz can of tomato sauce, and 1 1/2 of water.  Those ingredients need to come to a boil.  After that comes to a boil, I then turn it on low in order to let it thicken.  

4.  Once both the chicken is cooked and shredded and the sauce is ready, I pour enough sauce on the chicken to coat all of it.  

5.  I then take the taco shells and stuff then with some chicken and cheese.

6.  I roll up the shells and line them up an 11 X 13 pan.

7.  Once all of the enchiladas are lined up in the pan, I pour the rest of the sauce over top.

8.  Then I use the rest of the cheese to cover the enchiladas.  

9.  The enchiladas are then cooked in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

10.  While the enchiladas are cooking, I make rice and vegetables to go with the meal.

It's a great dish and good for so many occasions!  Enjoy!

Ending 22

Today is my last day as a 22 year old.  I spent my day busy at work but as I am at home by myself for a little while tonight, I'm taking some time to reflect on the past year.

All I can say is how thankful I am.  The last year has been one of the hardest for me in a lot of ways.  But it was also been one of the biggest growing years for me.  After 2 years of praying for the opportunity to move from Richmond, we finally got our answer.  We are so happy to be back in Lynchburg.  We both have great jobs and a wonderful apartment.  This is the fresh start I needed.  It came together so quickly, I feel as though I blinked and here I am, a month in to my new job.  I am settled and content; feelings I haven't felt in too long.  

Life still isn't perfect here and that's ok.  Life will never be perfect.  I could sit here and list all the things that still aren't perfect, but I choose not to.  I choose to be thankful in what God has given me.  I have a great job, a beautiful home, the most wonderful family I could have ever asked for, and a husband who I adore, that takes care of me and supports me, and my sweet puppy, Bella.  

I am thankful for the people God has blessed me with.  They are what makes life such a beautiful thing.  

I'm thankful for my husband.  He is everything to me.  He is the other half of my heart and my best friend.  He understands me and he listens to me.  He is my perfect match in every way.  He is a hard working, selfless, supportive, loving, caring, giving, strong, and handsome man.  He is everything I need in a husband and more.  I'm so thankful for our relationship.  

I'm also thankful for my parents.  No one could ask for more wonderful parents than the two I was blessed with.  They have always been and always will be my constant support and encouragement.  They love me no matter what.  It is because of them that I was raised with my beliefs and my values, and it is because of their example that I have a relationship with Christ.  My mom is one of my very best friends and she always will be.  I spend hours talking with my mom.  I look forward to the day when we are closer so we can always talk in person instead of by phone.  She is the most self-less person I have ever known.  Her daughters are the most important thing to her and I'm so grateful for that.  She is the perfect example of what a mother should be and I hope one day that I can come close to being as perfect of a mother as she is.  My daddy is so wonderful.  He loves his family so much.  He is such a hard worker and never complains about anything.  He is always looking for ways to help others.  

I'm thankful for my sister.  No one has a more beautiful, caring, and loving sister as I have.  She means the world to me.  She is creative and talented.  She is the most giving and the most thoughtful person I know.  I have always wanted to be just like her.  I look up to her so much!  And I can't wait until the day that she and I are neighbors so we can spend so much time together.  

I'm thankful for my grandma.  She has been like a second mother to me.  She has had an incredible influence in my life.  I wish I wasn't so far away from her.  I miss seeing her everyday and spending time talking to her and learning from her.  I was blessed with such a beautiful and wonderful grandma.  

I'm thankful for my Aunt Karen and Uncle Jack.  Nothing has been more wonderful than growing up next door to them and my beautiful cousins, Amy and Kelly.  I was so blessed with an incredible childhood, with 2 extra 'sisters'.  I am blessed to have such a close family!  I'm thankful for my Aunt Lori.  She is the funniest and most fun person to be around.  I miss being near my family so much!  

I am also blessed with incredible in-laws.  My mother-in-law and father-in-law are so amazing.  They have helped us in so many ways.  We are so blessed with every opportunity we have to spend with them!  My sister-in-law and brother-in-law are so much fun to be with.  Having a 10 day vacation recently with all of my in-laws was such a special time!  My husband has an amazing family and I'm so thankful to be a part of it.  My nephew.  Where to start?  I adore him!  He is the sweetest and cutest little boy in the entire world!  I hope more than anything that we will be closer one day to spend more time with them.

 I'm thankful with the gifts and abilities He has given to me.  I'm so thankful for the person He has made me to be and for the things He created me to do.  I have dreams and goals for my life.  In this next year, I want to continue taking the steps to make those dreams and goals a reality.  

Now, as I say goodbye to 22, I excitedly look forward to 23.  I look forward to the memories that will be made.  I look forward to the life that will be lived throughout the next year.  I look forward to growing and learning, through trials and triumphs.  I look forward to laughs and hugs and smiles.  I look forwards to family and friendship.  

I will cherish each moment and embrace every opportunity.  

I look back on the past year with a thankful heart realizing how blessed I truly am and I am fully ready for the beginning of being 23.

It's Friday!!!

High Five for Friday!  I'm linking up with Lauren from Lauren Elizabeth again this week!  Here are my highlights from this week!

1. This week I started my new job! I'm really enjoying it so far! There is a lot to learn! I really like the people I work with and they have been so sweet in helping me to learn and adjust. This is my desk at work. I'm not completely settled in yet, but its good for now

2. Slowly we are getting settled in to our new home! I love where we are living now! It's such a blessing to be here! This picture is of our sweet Bella.  She took a break from unpacking and fell asleep on her daddy's foot. 

3. After work the past few nights Austin and I have taken Bella for some very relaxing and enjoyable walks around our new neighborhood! Our neighbors are so friendly and it has been great getting to meet so many of them already.  We even have a bark park for Bella to play in.

4. Mr. Goodies. That should require no explanation for anyone who lives in Lynchburg, but for everyone else Mr. Goodies is the most amazing ice cream place in the world. This ice cream stand always seems to have a really long line when we go but it is always worth the wait!

5. We have had a couple beautiful sunsets around here lately!

That has been the highlights of my week!  I just feel so blessed and thankful!  It has been a wonderful week and I'm really looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend with my hubby and puppy!

Moving

Moving is hard.  Our move this past week made me never want to move again.  At least not for a good, long time.  Moving takes a lot of organization and a lot of boxes!  I can't tell you how may trips my husband took to different stores to get more boxes.  But moving was well worth it!  I just know we are going to be so much happier here.  Our apartment is a little bigger than the last, but the layout of the apartment is the most wonderful difference.  

My kitchen is much more open now.  And the oven door has glass to look in.  One of my least favorite things about our last apartment was the glass-less oven door!    

Our master bathroom is also another plus!  It's huge!  With lots of cabinets!  And a huge, wonderful bathtub!  
I also have a walk-in closet!  There is nothing more wonderful than a walk-in closet.  

The move itself would not have been possible without the help of our wonderful parents!  Both Austin's parents and my parents came down to assist with the move as well as two professional movers that we hired for 2 hours.  Getting professional movers was a great idea!  It was relatively cheap and they moved all of our heavy items and packed our moving truck for us!  It was such a blessing!  

I'm now in the unpacking stage.  This is no easy thing either.  But I'm so excited about our new home that it makes unpacking fun.  I have constantly checking craigslist for some of our furniture needs.  We have a growing list of items we would like to find for our apartment including some kind of a stand or a bakers rack to be used as a coffee station, 3 bar stools for our breakfast bar, a vanity for me so I will stop doing my make-up while sitting on the floor in front of my full-length mirror, and too much more.  Because of how expensive this list could be, we will be stretching out our buying process for these items until we find great deals and just the right items.

We will most likely be settled in this apartment for two to four years so I'm looking forward to the process of making this apartment our home.