Get Reale.

Blue Jean Beauty

{ Goodbye, old friend. }

That old denim couch.

This couch--she's seen it all...

IT.

ALL.

When I met Andy this Blue Jean Beauty (B.J.B.) was perfectly placed in Andy's mom's basement. She was a big part of our budding relationship, the site where we watched many a late night movie during our first few months of dating. We shared our first kiss on this couch (oooh, la la). She even made the move from Columbus to New York with us (up four flights of stairs in an apartment in Astoria, Queens-where she sadly lost all four of her legs).

Then, when we decided to move back to Columbus, she was once again (lovingly, yet legless) maneuvered again through the four flight stairwell and onto a very large moving truck. We brought her to an apartment in Victorian Village, she sat proudly in front of a wonderfully red brick wall.

One year later, it was time for her to endure another exhausting move (again). She was tired, she was worn out, she had traveled the world (part of it anyway). B.J.B. was much loved in her prime, but we were nearing a point where we both realized she was probably not going to cut it in the new place. Andy decided she should retire to the basement of our new home, where she has stayed for the last two years. It was fine for a bit, but eventually you have to just let go. She was large and clunky, she was kinda smelly and her time had come. We needed to reduce the clutter in our basement, and she was the central hub for all sorts of "stuff." Poor B.J.B. had become more of a shelf than a place to sit back and relax. We wanted to get rid of her, but the thought of lugging her up the basement steps just was too painful...we had put it off for months.

Yesterday, when I had come home from a long and exhausting day, the last thing I expected to see was good old B.J.B. sitting roadside.

I could not believe my eyes!

Turns out, my wonderful husband and his amazing dad got motivated to do a major overhaul in our basement, and the denim couch was part of that mix! What a massive surprise! What a huge relief. And everything else was perfectly organized. Truly the work of Mr. Reale (Thank you, thank you, thank you!!)

And, to anyone in need of a wonderfully comfortable, cozy and stylish couch:

I do not recommend swiping this one off our curb.

She's just too busted to be used, and bulk pickup is on the way.

In My Kitchen: Potato Soup

{ yum! }

Soup! Probably one of the most comforting foods you can eat on a cold day.

I. LOVE. SOUP.

The saddest part about making soup at my house is that I am usually left to enjoy it alone, because Andy has an aversion to most cooked vegetables. But he'll eat potato soup, so recently when I was in the mood for some comfort soup, this is the recipe I turned to! This is the kind of soup you want to share with people you love. It turned out so great for me, I even made it for last night's girl's night with some very beautiful ladies.

Ingredients:

4 strips of lean bacon, crumbled
10 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
5 1/4 cups of chicken broth
16 scallions, finely chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
6 cups 1% milk
3 teaspoons dried basil leaves
8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Peel, dice and rinse potatoes.

In a large stock or soup pot, Combine chicken broth, potatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Use a fork to slightly mash up potatoes in the pot.

Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, cook bacon over moderate heat until crispy, and chop up the scallions/garlic.

Remove the bacon, reserving drippings. Drain bacon on a paper towel and set aside.

Add scallions and garlic to reserved drippings and cook until tender, then add to pot of potatoes and chicken broth.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, flour and basil leaves. Slowly stir into potato mixture. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to thicken, about 3 minutes. (Hint: If you aren't getting your desired thickness in the soup, add a bit more flour in small increments until the soup has reached your desired thickness).

Crumble or chop bacon slices. Ladle soup into bowls. Serve topped with generous handful of shredded cheddar cheese and bacon crumbles.

Grab a blanket and prepare to be comforted by cheesy hot potato goodness!

Pathetic.

{ It's just so sad! }

The Hoff got a bath yesterday...

and he had this sad look on his little face the whole time.

Poor Ralf. Life is just so hard for him.

With all your heart

Proverbs 3:5-6:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and He will direct your paths."

{ How He loves us }

This verse just keeps coming to mind lately.

The Lord knows better than we do what we need, and the timing in which we need it. So I am committed to trust Him with my life, to listen for His voice, and to be obedient to His direction...because He wants the best for us. It's only in Him that we can find full joy, and a hope that will never fade.

Nashvegas, they say

Andy and I spent most of last week visiting Nashville. We were blessed to have an opportunity to hang out with friends, and enjoyed just driving around the city with each other--we even got to attend a pretty sweet church service while in town that was super encouraging; so there was a lot to be thankful for on this trip.

On our final day in the city we just did goofy tourist-y stuff, walking around the few blocks completely dedicated to the country music culture that makes Nashville what it is. I'm sure we looked like total cheese-balls since I was snapping pictures at every corner, but it was fun nonetheless. The best part of this walk was that we met an interesting older man named José, who talked a lot about his artwork (he was a street artist originally from Spain and in Nashville on business with his wife, and also to show his braiding artwork to local Nashville vendors. We nearly heard his life story in twenty minutes time!) and had an opportunity to pray with him, which was a really awesome way to end our visit. Funny how the Lord used our goofy little last minute idea to share his love with this man. If nothing else it was just a chance for him to have some good conversation with a couple of Ohio kids.

Here are some pictures we took while we were away!

{ A perfect Nashville scene, street musician, cowboy hats, and friendly faces }

{ Appropriately dubbed the Batman building... }

{ We spent Thursday morning visiting Cheekwood botanical gardens
and art museum in the massive Cheekwood estate that was really awesome.
These were some pretty flowers on the grounds }

{ Up, up, up! }

{ Stopped by Franklin for lunch one day. Quaint and cute little town }

{ Tootsies Orchid Lounge, live music and entertainment as early as 11am }

{ In front of Mike's Ice Cream & Coffee Bar-we didn't go in, because I know better...I looooove ice cream too much }

{ Charlie Daniels Museum and the Hard Rock Cafe (left of CDM) }

{ The home of the Tennessee Titans! }

{ Downtown Nashville }

{ Most of the trees in Tennessee still have all their leaves! It was beautiful }

{ I have a secret love for old painted advertisements on brick buildings }

{ Overpriced cowboy boots, among other things, can be purchased here }

{ It was a perfect week to visit, the weather was just lovely }

Oh, and I'm currently going through a ton of dinosaur photos to share very soon-the best way to break up a long drive home! Hopefully I'll have those posted by Wednesday.

Get out of Town!

We recently visited Nashville!

I'm putting together a post of some of the highlights, but couldn't resist sharing some shots from the road for now...check back soon to see what we did in the country music capital as well as an amazing Dinosaur chase that'll knock your socks off!

{ That's our car! }

{ We're on our way }

{ Snapped this at the very last second! Fumbling with my camera in awe of the birthplace of Honest Abe ;) }

{ Florence Ya'll-SEABIRD territory }

{ Kentucky cows }

{ Tourist trap...and it was AWESOME. Look for pictures and a video Andy and I did to be posted soon! }

{ Tennessee! We're so close...}

{ Stopped at Nervous Charlie's to fill up on gas }

{ Ah, Downtown Nashville...we made it! }

On this, the third year without her.

We call her Nanny, our lovely grandma.

She was more than phenomenal-she was stellar.

Nan loved Jesus, and shared Him with everyone she met.

She helped people...lots of people.

She changed lives.

She prayed. Hard. She worked. Hard. She loved. Hard.

She gave all she had, no regrets.

Nan was an incredible cook,

and could usually be found in the kitchen,

making food for a bunch of people.

She thrived on being with others.

Her favorite colors were teal and lime green.

She was cheery and bright.

She was beautiful, inside and out.

She was and is the reason I have faith in my Savior.

Nan had the kind of faith that said,

"The doctors say I have terminal cancer,

but I'm in the Lord's hands. Now tell me,

how can I pray for you?"

That is the type of faith that moves mountains.

I need that kind of faith.

We all do.

.........................::::::::::::::{ She lived a beautiful life }::::::::::::::.........................

Halloween Costumes

{ Teen Wolf and Max...Aaaaooooooo! }

Mrs. Jones threw a Halloween / Birthday shindig for her Mr. We loved it! Mrs. Jones is a terrific hostess.

To prepare for the party, Andy and I spent the better part of our Saturday shopping for our costumes. We had a wonderful time together. We went to several thrift stores and costume shops in search of the perfect disguise. Andy was going as Teen Wolf (the 1985 movie starring Michael J. Fox). We bought this makeup that had adhesive and fake hair in it to make him look like a werewolf, made him a letter out of felt and hot glued it to a thrift store jacket. He wore a head band and carried a basketball around with him. He looked great!

I went as Max from Where the Wild Things Are. We bought a white sweatsuit and I made ears out of felt and pipe cleaners to hot glue to the hood (We were tight on time since there was an hour left before the party started after all our shopping was done!) Andy helped me get down and dirty in the front yard to make my costume look more authentic.

It was perfect.

{ I'm thinking Andy probably enjoyed that more than he'll admit }

{ He is the best }

{ Had to get the dirty leaves from the street }

{ The wind up... }

{ ...and the pitch! }

Trick-or-Treat / Homemade Gabba Costumes

{ Plex (Nattie), Muno (Gracie), and Foofa (Shiloh) }

This year, I took on the biggest project since my senior fashion show in college: making three little Yo Gabba Gabba! costumes for Gracie, Shiloh and Nattie! (If you haven't seen Yo Gabba Gabba! before, you are missing out!)

These three girls are the most awesome kiddos E V E R (until I have my own of course-and even then, it's a pretty close race!) Nattie belongs to my cousin Jackie (see her sweet blog here); and Gracie and Shiloh belong to Jackie's sister, Erin (she too has a blog, go show her some love here).

At the beginning of October, I dusted off my old sewing machine and work began on these mini-mascot costumes. Jackie, Erin and I had so much fun with the girls shopping for supplies at JOANN'S. We met at Erin's house about four times total throughout the month so that these costumes could be completed in time. I could not have done this without the help of my Aunt Becky, Erin, and Jackie. It was a lot of work, but worth it just to spend time with the people I love so much. I have the best family in the world.

I'm so proud of the work we did! And the girls have the best costumes out of any kids in the hood, for sure!

Here are some of the pictures from our creative sessions and trick-or-treat. Unfortunately my little laptop is still at the Apple store for maintenence (going on nearly 2 weeks now); and I've been using Andy's desktop computer when he isn't working, so many of my good pictures of making the costumes are not available at the moment. Being that it's Halloween, I wanted to at least share what pictures I do have.

{ Gracie tries on her leg warmers }