The Negative

What is film used for?  It is a tiny ribbon of amber material that captures an image forever.  I recently found photo negatives of my mom when she was a child.  Now I am not saying that was FOREVER.. but it was a long time.  The negatives still have the pictures that were imprinted on them nearly 50 years ago.  That's how our thoughts and our minds are.  That is how humans operate.  We hear something, see something, or act on something - and suddenly we begin to imitate that.  Just look at babies.  They aren't smart at 10 months old and just know that the two syllables ma-ma and dada mean Mommy and Daddy.  They are imitating you repeating it over and over to them.  They are wanting that approval from you.  Imitation is the highest form of flattery - but can also be the highest form of destruction.  

God has been teaching me a lot lately about myself and who I am becoming.  There are people that I surround myself with, TV shows that I watch, and things that I read that are not pure and virtuous. They are things that are bringing me down.  If you have noticed - I haven't been blogging about my relationship with my Savior lately.  It has been about me.  It has been about what I am doing.  Not about what the Lord is teaching me or doing in or around me.  

This morning my mom brought a magazine in my room.  It is the recent issue of self.  I buy women's health, shape, and self to make myself feel athletic.  Being athletic is one of the things I strive to be one day in my life, yet I know I will never achieve.  I buy these magazines because the front cover "motivates" me to look like that - yet it is virtually unattainable.  These models are models because they are genetically born with a perfect metabolism, a great bone structure, and they were found at the perfect time.  Okay - maybe they aren't born perfect and have eating disorders and tons of problems - but looking at them, not only makes me insecure, it makes me wish I was them and become unsatisfied with how God made ME.  

But what is one thing that these magazine have in common.  Here is the breakdown of what is inside of them:

I have been praying about it - but as all immature people say, "It's not going to effect me!  I am a bigger person than this - I am a Christian and I can read and watch and talk like this and not be effected." 

20% Nutrition

5% Recipes

35% Workout Routines/Articles

40% Relationship and Sex Advice.

Now out of those things... I want most of all the Workout Routine portion - but am I getting any of that out of these magazines?  No.  I am getting more information about sex and ungodly relationships than anything!  That is ridiculous!  Why am I filling my mind with things like this when the Bible EXPLICITLY warns me about this:

Mark 7:20-23 says:

²⁰ He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. ²¹ For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder,²² adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. ²³ All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

What you behold you become.  Your life is like a piece of photographic film.  

The eyes are the window of the soul.  

Things that you see go into your eyes make an impression on your soul.  The things that you focus on long enough you eventually take on the characteristics of what you are looking like.

Check this out:

This is a perfect "secular" example of this idea.  Old married couples look like each other the more they age.  What they focused on for 10-20-50 years are the characteristics they are beginning to embody.  

This is my favorite one! haha

So I pose the question:

Only you can be honest with yourself. Don't wait the 47 days to New Years to make a change.  make a change now.  

The change might be hard.  It might involve changing your friend group, not watching the shows you watch, and it might even involve you meeting new people.  But it also means...

You get more time with you Heavenly Father!  And that is ALWAYS a good thing!

I want to let you know what sparked this blog post.  It was a video that I watched several nights ago of one of my friends Dorothy Shepherd and her wedding that took place a few months ago.  (Click on the picture to watch the video)

It reminded me of the relationship, the man, and the love that I want to share and reciprocate one day.  It is a love that stems from Jesus - a love that can only be found if you seek HIM out and cultivate that relationship day in and day out.  

Whatcha Want Wednesdays

I am moving to Waco in a few weeks and am trying to figure out the style of decor that I want to use.  I have a red microfiber couch that I am using and I have a yellow lamp.  I didn't really want to go fancy shmancy, but I wanted to go livable.  With that in mind I have found several pieces that I could see myself buying.  I have recently fallen in love with Craigslist (Furniture) and Etsy (furniture) and of course Ebay, however my favorite is Etsy.  Soo many fun things out there!

Here is the dilemma I have:

Kitchen:

I have a kitchen and nothing for it!  I have one crockpot!  Thats it haha.  I will eventually need decor in there, but to get started I need a kitchen table and chairs.  The place I am living has a bar, so I will also need bar stools.

I love the look of this barnwood kitchen table.  I feel like it will last me a LONG time and this particular table with one bench is $200 which I think is very reasonable.  And these bar stools are $30 a piece and I would only need 2!  I would most likely paint them a really fun color - (yellow?) What do you think?  If I go for this rustic chic look - will it compliment the red couch I have?


Door:

Right when you walk in there is enough room for a bench of some kind to place a basket on and a couple of hooks above it.


I love this red bench ($64) and it only measures about 34 inches long and they say it sits pretty close to the ground.  What do you think about putting this by the door and placing a wicker basket on top of it and these hooks ($9) above it.  Oh and I would love to get a framed mirror for by the door ($190 - obviously not this EXPENSIVE mirror)!  I just think mirrors are so elegant taking up space!

















Living Room:
I have the Red couch, but nothing else.  I was thinking I will need to end tables, a coffee table, a chair, and an entertainment set - maybe 2 chairs.

Going along with this shabby/rustic chic look - I am thinking about mimicking either of these 2 designs for my living room entertainment area... What do you think?

These are my thoughts - my red couch with some white and rustic pillows, 2 end tables (yet to be determined) with lamps (very symmetrical) and then to carry the rustic over into the living room - I love this barn wood table that has been sanded and refurnished.  I could easily use that as my coffee table.  For above my couch I love that barn wood and picture theme - I was even thinking of going to Staples's and getting an industrial print 3 feet by 4 feet and placing it on top of some old wood that I (doctor) up over Christmas Break.

For my entertainment set area - I was thinking of just using this bench and mounting my TV on the wall and placing things on the bench under the TV (like the picture on the left).  I don't know if I would use lamps over there - but I have tons of pictures, that I could even hang on the wall - or it could just be really simple (I might aim for simple) What are your thoughts?

After that these are just some of my other knick-knacks that I have found that I like and I would like to use somewhere in the house.

I love this curtain thing in my room:  The BIG question is if I don't have a posted bed like that will it look as cool?  And I am not quite sure I like the Sun Mirror in the middle.  But I love the black and whites over on the far wall!  Very simple!  LOVE IT!!  (my cousin Meg always nags me, I love the way simple looks, but I am ALWAYS saying I need more on the walls!)

I ALSO LOVE THE PILLOWS on this bed :)  I need more pillows on mine.  All I have is 2 yellow and one green in the middle.  And this full length mirror inside of a door - I really wanna try this - anyone with me?!

This Room is also a favorite - I don't know if I could be that chic though with the way my living room will look?

Which of the bed rooms are your favorite?  I am looking for some honest feedback here because I move in a little over a month! AHH.

HELP HELP HELP.  COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT!

You can find all of this stuff on my Pinterest - click the button at the top or just click here!

Too Fat Tuesday.... Halloween Edition

I thought since today is too fat Tuesday I would share with you the fat things that I like to indulge in during the holiday times, namely Halloween.  Halloween is right around the corner, so I thought I could also share some recipes with you of some fun treats to try for your friends or with your little ones around the house! First:  PEANUT BUTTER PUMPKIN MAN

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 tbsp honey or agave nectar
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp ground flax
• peanut butter chips, for melting
• a couple squares of your favorite chocolate

          Melt the peanut butter and honey together in a small microwavable bowl until easily stirred.  Mix until well blended.  In another bowl, combine oats and flax.  Pour the peanut butter mixture into the oat mixture and mix together.  It may seem dry at first, but just keep mixing.  Form the now combined mixture into balls and place on a plate.  Chill in freezer overnight.  The next day, melt peanut butter chips in a small bowl (I used a ramekin).  If desired, thin the mixture with a bit of milk (I did this).  Using a toothpick, fork, of your hands if you don't mind getting a bit messy, dip the frozen peanut butter balls into the melted peanut butter chip and twist a bit to coat.         

          Set back on plate.  Repeat with each ball before returning them to freezer to let peanut butter coating harden (about an hour or so).  Once hardened, cut chocolate pieces into rectangular chunks and place on top of balls to make pumpkins.  You may have to melt the bottom of the chocolate a bit to get it to stick on top.  Return balls to freezer until serving time.

These are the best treats ever!! (especially if you like peanut butter like I do!!)  This next great has a lot of peanut butter as well!  I promise last peanut butter treat!

GHOST COOKIES!!

My mom has been making these for ages!  All you need is one package of nutter butter cookies and one package of white chocolate candy coating.  Melt the candy coating (be careful and only melt 30 seconds at a time because it will burn and mess up all of your white chocolate).  Then dip your nutter butter halfway in and let the excess white chocolate drip off before laying the cookie down on parchment paper.  Before the chore chocolate drys - place two chocolate chip morsels on it for eyes!  It is quick and simple and will make such a fun tailgate food, party appetizer, or even holiday gift!!  Plus they are super delicious!!

The next treat is a great dish to make with your family during the holidays for the best meal... BREAKFAST!

One of my favorite favors this time of year is pumpkin.  My mom makes a delicious pumpkin bread that I will share with you in a couple of days that is absolutely to die for!   This recipe is a spin off of a classic breakfast casserole where you soak bread overnight and back for 30 minutes in the morning.  Granted, it does have quite a bit of prep time.  It is worth it.  Especially for those mornings where you just want to lay around in bed, I lay around with Baylor, but those of you with sweeties - this is a great dish to make the night before - wake up and put in the oven, and snuffle for that extra 30 minutes you always want!! 

 Pumpkin French Toast Bake

Sweet and spicy pumpkin french toast is made the night before for an easy, early-morning preparation.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 cups 1-inch bread cubes (about half of a loaf and use wheat bread for best absorbency).

• 7 large eggs

• 2 cups milk (any kind)*

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1/4 cup pumpkin BUTTER (or 1/2 cup pumpkin puree)* 

• 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar for topping

• nuts, like pecan or walnuts (optional)

                                                            Instructions

1. Cut any kind of bread into 1-inch cubes – I recommend a crusty, whole grain variety, but sandwich bread will work, too. Just use enough slice to fill a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish quite full.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and pumpkin butter until well combined. Pour over bread and push down with a spoon or your hands until it’s all soaked and mostly covered. Cover with saran wrap or lid and refrigerate overnight.
3. In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees, uncover and top with brown sugar and nuts (optional). Bake for 35-45 minutes or golden brown and no longer wet.
4. Serve immediately with maple syrup, honey or agave nectar. Store leftovers in the refrigerator covered for up to a couple days.

Notes

* I make my own pumpkin butter this time of year, so I use that, but if you are using the canned pumpkin I would use half of the can - I think it's like one cup pumpkin puree.

  

This is absolutely my favorite time of year!  Try these recipes out with your loved ones !!  I promise they will not disappoint.  My sister loves this last one because coupled with some good old fashioned log cabin maple syrup you are in for a sweet and pumpkin-y treat!  I love fall because with nutmeg, pumpkin, and cinnamon, plus of the different spices that we use this time of year - you can actually taste the leaves changing and the crisp air outside in every bite!  

That is what makes cooking so wonderful!  Especially this time of year!

Tomorrow is whatcha want Wednesday and I am going to show you some things that I want for my house.  I will need your opinion though because I am a bit of a clutter-holic.  I don't know when to stop and I dont know how to pick ONE theme!  I just pick what I like and throw it together. 

Because I am moving to Waco for a while, I really want this to feel like a cozy home.  A place that I can have company and that I can "grow up" a little with.  So I need your help!! PLEASE!

Also, I know we are a few weeks removed from the tragedy that struck the Turner family, but please remember them in your prayers.  Julee has a long road ahead of her and the more prayers that are out there the more comfort that will surround her.   I truly believe that Jesus sends us ANGELS to help us. let's pray for Julee and Preslee that angels surround them during this time.  And let's not forget, Matt's mother.  She has lost her husband, to leukemia (7 years ago), and now her son.  What a heart break.  If anything, pray for her sanity and her reliance on God and HIS PLAN AND HIS CONTROL during these times.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Let me know how you like the recipes!

Fall Clothes and Puppy Dogs... Whatcha Want Wednesdays

By this time you have noticed I got a beautiful new blog design for CharmedBliss. It was about time for a professional look and a more unified homepage for all of my mindless wanderings. If you are considering a blog redesign I urge you to use 733 Designs. She is prompt, efficient, and look at her cute design she did for me :) I just love it! SO hop on over and check out her portfolio.

 I created a blog to share my most deepest dreams and desires and to a degree, I have succeeded.  Well today I am going to take another step towards success and tell you about WHAT I WANT!  I really want fall to be here.  Fall leaves, colors chaining around us, and especially fall clothes.  I love greens and greys and purples.  The hues and tones of these colors (and the boots that accompany them) are just so comforting.

Don't you agree?  Fall is a very comfortable season.  It is a season of change and enjoyment.  One of anticipation and relaxation.  It is one of my favorites.

But as a I literally freeze indoors today I am comforted by my sweater, that 2 months ago would have already found it's place in the floor.  It is a wonderful season!  And I am so ready for it to be here.  But in order for my fall clothing collection to be completed I need a pair of light tan boots, a couple more scarves (I really like the grey one in the picture) and I need a green one for the Baylor game I will be attending next week.

And since we are on the topic of Baylor.... Wouldn't it be cool if he did dog shows??  I mean he IS cute enough right?  DUGHH...

Let me know what you think about the blog change!

TOO fat Tuesday!

Today's Blog is going to be all about the food that I want to eat - and then a recipe that we can actually make!!!

This week's 

is....

I have had this crazy silly obsession with goat cheese lately.  It's texture is thick but creamy and it's taste is both sweet and tangy.  I read recently that it is a healthy alternative to cream cheese with twice the protein and half the fat and cholesterol.  So think twice before using cream cheese in your recipes!  Just switch to Goat cheese.  Here are a few tasty goat cheese treats: And I have found that avocado with goat cheese is the best!  And if you are near a Newk's stop in and try their Chicken Pesto sandwich.  They are responsible for placing this obsession in my mouth.  On this sandwich they have a great goat cheese spread.  It is to die for.  I would run 10 miles just to get this sandwich!  SOOO Good!

nom nom nom...

And just for your eyes::

And a recipe:

duh it will be lemon blueberry squares!

Blueberry Lemon Bars slightly adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

For the crust: 

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs


• 6 tablespoons butter, melted


• 1/4 cup granulated sugar


• Zest of one lemon

For the filling:

• 2 large egg yolks


• 1 (14 ounce can) sweetened condensed milk 


• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice


• 1 teaspoon lemon zest


• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Stir until graham cracker crumbs are moist. Press crumbs firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of prepared pan. Bake the graham cracker crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

To make the filling, combine the egg yolks and condensed milk in a medium bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until mixture is smooth and begins to slightly thicken. Gently fold in the 3/4 of the blueberries, reserving some for the top. 

Pour the lemon blueberry filling evenly over the graham cracker crust then top with the remaining blueberries. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.

Cool for 10 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate until completely chilled. Cut into bars and serve. 

Have a great Tuesday!

Fall Clothes and Puppy Dogs

By this time you have noticed I got a beautiful new blog design for CharmedBliss. It was about time for a professional look and a more unified homepage for all of my mindless wanderings. If you are considering a blog redesign I urge you to use 733 Designs. She is prompt, efficient, and look at her cute design she did for me :) I just love it! SO hop on over and check out her portfolio.

 I created a blog to share my most deepest dreams and desires and to a degree, I have succeeded.  Well today I am going to take another step towards success and tell you about WHAT I WANT!  I really want fall to be here.  Fall leaves, colors chaining around us, and especially fall clothes.  I love greens and greys and purples.  The hues and tones of these colors (and the boots that accompany them) are just so comforting.
Don't you agree?  Fall is a very comfortable season.  It is a season of change and enjoyment.  One of anticipation and relaxation.  It is one of my favorites.
But as a I literally freeze indoors today I am comforted by my sweater, that 2 months ago would have already found it's place in the floor.  It is a wonderful season!  And I am so ready for it to be here.  But in order for my fall clothing collection to be completed I need a pair of light tan boots, a couple more scarves (I really like the grey one in the picture) and I need a green one for the Baylor game I will be attending next week.

And since we are on the topic of Baylor.... Wouldn't it be cool if he did dog shows??  I mean he IS cute enough right?  DUGHH...

Let me know what you think about the blog change!

Whatcha Want Wednesdays: Home Edition

Home is where my Family is.  

I am learning a lot about my family these days.  A lot of it has to do with how close my natural family is and how involved we are in each others lives.  However, I am growing up which means I won't always live in my mother's house or be able to go to pancake breakfast at Grandmary's and Papa's - which looked so fun by the way.  

I am learning that my "family" is wherever I am.  It doesn't necessarily mean that my "family" is my crazy Gosser family - it means that it might consist of all different ages and types of people.  And I am learning to accept that.  

This is my family: We are huge and we love each other.  They are a bunch of crazy people and we have soo much fun together! I could probably do an entire blog (like everyday and all the time post) about them!   I love them so much!!!!!! 

And this is my Waco family.  

They are crazy and from all parts of the United States, but I miss them!  I love them so much and I think that my last semesters at Baylor, I took them for granted.  But that doesn't mean I can't go back.  That is what family does - they accept your faults and love you anyways.  These are some of my best friends in Waco and I can't wait to get back!!!

They sent me this during my week at Miss Arkansas.  They all have my buttons and are supporting me all of the way from Baylor.  [I am crying as I am writing this right now] Not only because I miss them - but because I want desperately to be back with them living life and loving every minute of it.  These are some of the greatest people I know!!

So now that I have already cried this morning... I want to tell you about my home.  My home where one day I will have my own family - and what I want in it!! haha

How great is this Laundry room.  I love that it has everything in it.  A desk, pictures, hooks, table tops, shelves, and the best a bench!  I know that benches are usually used to put things on - but in this case it would be a great way to divide up laundry so everyone could pick up there own and not dig through all of the laundry.  

Please tell me these pictures are not the cutest things ever!! In the foyer or greeting hall by the front door - I think that these canvas prints are a great idea!!!  I can't wait to do it.  

I also love this front door monogram.  Of course I am getting one of these ASAP - when I get married.  I think it would be fun to have a monogram bridal shower.  That would be beneficial in my opinion , especially if the bride loves monograms!!!

Can we say yes please.  To the walls.  The the bedding.  To the light.  To the picture above the bed. To the windows.  To the simplicity.  I love it!  I do not however like the computer in the room, the waste of space bed side table or the orange chair.  I would add a bench at the end and maybe bed posts on the bottom and top of the bed!  But this room definitely makes me happy :)   And then above - I love this ironing board.. it will fit nicely into my bright fun simply laundry room!  I love it!!

WHAT DO YOU WANT???