Wedding Planning

I'm so sorry for not posting in such a long, long, long time!! I have got to be the worst blogger EVER!;(

Something really excited has happened since my last blog post,

I've got one of these......

I'm so excited to be marring Samuel Joseph Taylor! 

I've decided every Monday to post some wedding details.

Since I got engaged two weeks ago, we have checked many things off our list:

~Set a time and date for the wedding - May 12, 2012 at 2:00

~ Contact wedding a officiate - Walt Briley

~Develop a budget - $5,000

~Begin compiling your guest list - around 350 people

~ Decide on a color scheme - cotton candy pink and chocolate brown. 

~Decide on honeymoon plans - A cabin in the mountains  

~Decide on and order attendants gowns - either this one or this one

 Things we will be working to check off our list in the next 4 weeks: 

~Decide style of ceremony - inside or outside wedding

 ~Choose our wedding party

~Go wedding dress shopping 

~ Register for wedding gifts

I'm going to *try* to get around to posting our courtship story this week, but don't hold me too it!;)

3 Horses

My brother's girlfriend, Helen has brought three of her four horses over to our house for the summer. I love having animals in our barn again! I'm missed having our barn and pasture filled with animals!

Here's a few pictures of these beautiful animals!:)

NEXT 2011 part 1

Yesterday afternoon I finally arrived back home after being gone six days! It was such a wonderful time, spent with two of my favorite people, worshiping and learning about God!:)

Instead of driving down with people from our church, we decided to fly.
(Instead of a 10 hour drive, it only took 1 hr and 45min!:) This was my 1st time flying and I was SO nervous that we weren't going to make it! I'm really positive, I know. ;) Even thought I would never want to fly again, you have a beautiful view of God's creation!!

 In the air! :)

Once we arrived in Orlando, we tracked down out logdge, found our driver and headed to the Shingle Creek!

 The front view of Shingle Creek

 The view from our hotel room!

 I'm really excited about NEXT!:)

After we arrived we checked in at NEXT and then decided since we had 3 hours to go swimming. After changing into our swim suits and walking outside to the pool area, we found out that they had 3 pools! 1 family pool, 1 old peoples pool and 1 quite pool (which really should have been named the LOUD pool!;)  We ended up in the quite pool, where Joshua Harris and his son where swimming.

The quite pool:)

At around 6:15 we headed down to wait for the doors to open. The doors always open 30min from starting time and people line up a whole hour before it's scheduled to start. When they open the doors open go crazy and run for the front seats! The 1st night I got squashed by some guy when the doors opened. ;(

(Just a side note, there were between 2,000-3,000 people at NEXT.)

Rebekah and I caught Joshua Harris walking by while we were waiting and decided to get a picture!:)

 People waiting for the doors to open!:) 

More people waiting for the doors to open!:)

Rebekah and I waiting

After they opened the doors, people finding their seats.

 Worship!:)

After an hour of worship they have an hour of preaching. We had a wonderful group of preachers:
Jeff Purswell, Scott Oliphint, D.A. Carson, R.C. Sproul, and Kevin DeYoung. After the preaching which would end around 10:00, we would have a concert. We heard from, Reilly, Shane & Shane, and Generation Letters. I really enjoyed Shane&Shane and Generation Letters. Reilly was a little too loud and  crazy for me, but they had an amazing violinist!;)
When we got to our hotel room to finally get some sleep, I pulled back the sheets to get in bed and there were black sticky stains! GROSS! We called the front desk and soon I had clean sheets and could finally get some sleep.:) 

Abigail and I on Sunday morning!:)

Eating breakfast outside in the wonderful sunshine!

Once again waiting inline and waiting for the doors to open.

Sunday afternoon Abigail and I went swimming once again. I did not have a lot of fun this time. People just sat in the pool and worked on there tan and I wanted to swim!

After we went swimming we got dressed and once again waited for the doors to open!:)

One of the concerts from NEXT

It's getting late, so I will post part two tomorrow. :)

Gf Sandwich Bread

GF, Dairy, and yeast free Sandwich Bread

2 1/4 cup my Flour Blend (found on my Gluten free resources page.)
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon potato flour - NOT- potato starch!
2 eggs
1 cup milk (cow, rice, soy, or coconut)
1/4 cup butter (melted) or canola oil

1. preheat over to 375F. Grease one 9x5-inch nonstick loaf pan.

2. Combine dry ingredients in large mixer bowl. With electric mixer on low, add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. (Batter will be thick!)

3. Spoon into prepared pan and smooth top with wet spatula, if necessary. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until top is deeply browned and tooth pick comes out clean.

Since this made around 20 slices of bread, after it cooled I froze almost all of it. I tried it for the 1st time today from the freezer and oh my goodness it was just as good!!

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients: 
4 - 6 slices of bacon
1 large onion
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
4 clovers garlic
1 (16oz) bag of dried split peas (remember to wash the peas.)
8 cups chicken broth. (I did not have this so i used 8 chicken bullion cubs.)
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp dried rosemary
salt  and pepper to taste.

1. Wash peas and set aside.

2. Place bacon in a large pot, and cook over medium heat until crisp. 

3. Stir in onion, leek, carrot, and garlic; cook until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes

4. Pour in chicken broth. 

5. Stir in slit peas, bay leaves, and rosemary 

6.Bring to a boil and then turn reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer until peas are soft, about an hour, stirring occasionally.


* I had to add about 4-6 cups of water, cause the chicken broth disappeared! I think my problem was I left it cooking on high too long. I was kinda of worried it would be change the taste, but it turned out fine. So, if you have to add water don't panic! ;)

Livging without

*Just so you know gluten stands for wheat, rye, barley, spelt and several others grains!*
Most of my readers know I've kinda been on strange diets since I was 8 due to allergies. I've been tested for allergies several times and I've been to many doctors.  I went on a gluten-free and dairy free diet after a doctor recommended it. When I was either 14 or 15 I finally got fed up with having to eat certain foods always having to bring my special food with me. It was frustrating! So I started eating everything that I was allergic too. For awhile I felt fine. Then all of the sudden I would feel kinda sick, and then this year my allergies got horrible! I could not eat anything without feeling soooo sick, but I still felt like I'd eating nothing. I was tired and had no energy when I 1st woke in the morning. It was hard to get anything done. Now, I know most of you are saying, that's so silly, just go back on your diet! A gluten-free diet is hard. But a gluten-free, dairy free diet is even harder. Anyway, in October I got tested for 150 foods. I came back allergic to gluten, dairy, cashews, and several kinds of seafood. By the time I got my test results back it was the beginning on November and I decided I would go back on my diet, in the new year so that I could get through Christmas and Thanksgiving. So, on January 1st, I started back on my diet. It's been hard. Shampoo, make-up, gum, toothpaste, and lotion, make up a huge list of items that contain gluten.(I know! You would never have thought these items have gluten!) It's been hard sometimes finding something to eat. (Because of the way my stomach is, I have to eat whenever I feel hunger, otherwise I get really sick.) So that's been hard finding something to snack on. It's also been hard cause everything cost twice the amount regular food!  As I'm continuing to feel better, I'm also starting to think about the future. Since I feel so sick when I'm off my diet, it makes since to stay on it for the rest of my life.:) Which means lord-willing my future family will also be on it. So, I need to be spending time now  finding out how to cook without gluten and dairy. It's hard and sometimes frustration with I think about all the things I can't eat! ;( But I think I would rather feel better then forever feel sick! Anyway, I think I've just rambled about this.;)  Really I just wanted to let people know, because I'm going to start posting about cooking gluten-free and other things about living without. I hope you will continue to read my blog and follow me on the journey ahead!:)

favorite pictures

 I've taken this year.