giving thanks

I am thankful for my Lord and Savior, and the new mercies He gives us daily. 
I am thankful for Jason and Ryleigh. They are the lights of my life. 
I am thankful for our family and all of the love and support they provide. 
I am thankful for our friends and the encouragement, and positivity they bring to our lives. 
I am thankful for our home and the many new memories we've made in it. 
I am thankful for Jason's job and the security it provides for our family.
I am thankful for the opportunity to stay home and care for Ryleigh. I treasure every moment with her. 


I am thankful for this beautiful life and pray that I will never take any of it for granted! 

Decking our halls

Ryleigh has been such a good girl today which means I've been able to get some things done around the house! Yesterday she was being quite the little diva. She's quickly finding her voice and wanting to be picked up more and more...I can't blame her, laying around has to be getting pretty boring!

She has made many a trip to Hobby Lobby with me within the past couple of weeks and we've gotten some really good deals on Christmas decorations. Of course many of the ideas I have floating around in my head are from Pinterest and I was so excited to see how they'd turn out. The arrangement I made was so simple and I bought the glass cylinder and just stacked small christmas colored ornaments in it! The both turned out great and are already sitting on our counter! I can't wait to get the rest of our things down from the attic and get our christmas tree set up!

One of my most favorite little snacky things during christmas is puppy chow! I made a big batch today and am pretty sure it won't last long:)

It's super simple:

Puppy Chow

9 cups of Crispix
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1. Melt the chocolate chips over low heat, and add peanut butter. Stir until smooth.
2. Pour melted chocolate mixture over Crispix until well coated.
3. Put confectioners sugar in a sealable plastic bag, add chocolate covered Crispix and coat well.
4. Enjoy!

grateful

Music does many things for me. It brings memories to life. It is an emotional outlet. It creates fabulous dance parties. It helps me grow in my relationship with God, and when I sing to Ryleigh it calms her right down.

This past Sunday at church our worship team sang "How Great Thou Art" and every ounce of joy that was in my heart poured out in tears. I love when that happens. I feel so close to Him. I hear Him, and I know that he hears me and everything that is on my heart. 

I'm a very emotional person, but I think since having Ryleigh it's absolutely amplified. She's the light of my life, and more than I ever I am grateful for this life that God has made for me. So, this song has significant meaning for me because of where I am in life, and in my relationship with God. 

If you haven't seen this performance by my favorite country girl, Carrie Underwood, it's an absolute must. I get chills every time I watch it! 

 

christmas on the brain

I am one of those people who refuses to put up any kind of christmas decor until I've fully digested a large amount of turkey and green bean casserole...but that doesn't mean I can't start conjuring up ideas of how I want to decorate our house this holiday season. I'm very excited because it's our first christmas in our new house, and more importantly it's Ryleigh's first christmas! I know she's going to be too little to know what's really going on, but it'll be fantastic nonetheless. 

I would have to say I'm a pretty traditional girl and I love colored lights. Jason and I disagree, he's a white light guy. So, we'll have to see who wins this year:) 

As for the rest of the decor and other things I'd like to try, here are some ideas I have brewing! 

Thank you Pinterest! What would I do without you?  

Fix-it and Forget-it

So, it's snowing outside...and it's sticking. I'm not really sure how I feel about it yet. It's pretty, but I still do not like the cold! Ryleigh and I have chosen to hibernate today (after a quick shopping spree at Meijer) and I got out the crock pot and the Fix-it and Forget-it cookbook that Jason's parents got me a couple of birthdays ago. 


So many great recipes and today I've decided to try a Zesty Taco Soup! I hope it is as delicious as it looks. 

Here is the recipe if you're interested: 


Zesty Taco Soup
Prep Time - 15 Minutes
Cook Time - 4-6 Hours
Serves - 6-8


Ingredients


1 lb. ground beef ( I use Jennie-O Extra Lean Turkey, less fat!) 
1 large white onion
1 can of Mexican-style tomatoes 
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of black beans, undrained
1 can of kidney beans, undrained
1 can of whole-kernal corn, undrained
1 jar of Picante Sauce (preferably Medium to give it some heat) 


1. Brown the meat and onions in a skillet. (I added a little bit of taco seasoning that I had in the house to   give it more of a taco flavor.) Drain. 
2. Combine meat and onions with all other vegetables and picante sauce in crock pot. 
3. Cover. Cook on low heat for 4-6 hours. 
4. Serve with tortilla chips, or fresh bread. Add sour cream and shredded cheese. 
5. Enjoy! 

All I want for Christmas...

It's November, I know! But that doesn't mean a girl can't dream up a wish list if she wants, right?! Everything I want is very girly, not all that necessary, but cute nonetheless. 


Can you tell I like purple? 

                                                 

1. Coach purse - Madison Op Art Metallic

2. Gucci Eau de Parfum II

3. Lululemon Stride Jacket - Lilac 

4. Vera Bradley Wallet - Plum Petals

5. Toms - Oatmeal Herringbone Classics

6. Uggs - Lapis Classic Short

What do you want Santa to bring you for Christmas???

Chicago, I miss you.

Ryleigh is sleeping soundly next to me, and I'm watching Bill & Giuliana  on the Style network (yes yes I know...mindless TV is bad!) Bill is from Chicago and a lot of the show is shot there and in this such episode it showed the couple dining at Carmine's on Rush St. and strolling down Michigan Ave. doing some shopping. I always miss Chicago, but seeing it made me miss it all the more. 


I miss the people. I miss being able to walk a couple of blocks and have a plethora of restaurant options available to us. I miss having a Starbucks on every corner. I miss being so close to the beach. I miss exploring the city. I miss playing bags at Wise Fools. I miss laying in Oz park while reading a new book. I miss Ann Sather's cinnamon rolls. I miss Cody's. I miss Gaslight and my oh so favorite Montana Wrap. I miss Sweet Mandy B's. I  miss the shopping on State St. I miss eating lunch by the river just outside my old office. I miss late nights out with friends and dance parties....the list could go on and on. 


We can't wait to bring Ryleigh to Chicago someday and show her why we love it so much! 
Until then...we'll just keep missing you Chicago....we'll visit soon! 

One Year Anniversary

What a year it has been! We got hitched, found out Ryleigh was on the way, bought a house, and welcomed Ryleigh into the world! As I sit down and reflect on everything I thank God for every blessing he's given our family and pray that he continues to bless us today and every day that follows! 


A couple of days before our anniversary celebration, I was told to pack an overnight bag and await my surprise! We dropped Miss Ryleigh off at Grandma and Grandpa Kingma's (it was her first overnight away from us, so I was a little apprehensive, but I knew she'd be just fine) and we headed downtown to have dinner at the new Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. We had an amazing dinner, and talked about the past year, and what kinds of things we want to do in year two! After dinner, Jason surprised me with a room at the JW Marriott! We so needed a quiet night with just the two of us, so I was so excited! The room was gorgeous, and waiting for me were roses, chocolate covered strawberries (made by Jason himself) and lit candles filled the room! We toasted to our one year with our heart shaped glasses from our wedding day, such a cute and thoughtful detail. 


The next morning we headed home and watched our wedding video! What a perfect day...emotional and memorable, and I married the man of my dreams and best friend! 


Jason, you are amazing and I am so blessed to have you as my husband. I have loved living life with you, and can't wait to see what the next year brings! 


Always yours, 
Courtney Marie