be still my soul

i love the beach. as a teenager i always thought, oh wouldn't it have been more fun if we had gone somewhere else for vacation. oh was i wrong. i'm so thankful that my mom gave us the experience of going to the beach every year when we were growing up.

i have special memories from one beach in particular, seagrove, fl. located next to seaside these white sandy beaches are full of memories, thoughts, books, walks, prayers, laughs, and footprints. my soul is more still at the beach than anywhere else in the world. i see this and somehow everything seems like it will be ok:

this year i was able to go to seagrove with a group of girls who are so special to me, the vandy interns of 2005-2006. these girls represent so much, they welcomed me into their group during a time when my life was turned upside down. i haven't seen many of them in a few years so it was great to catch up, we talked non-stop for the whole time and ate lots of good food. i'm so thankful for these girls and can't wait to catch up next year!

this quick trip was the perfect end to summer and was the perfect respite for me before another semester starts. i plan to make this my screensaver on those days when 24 hours to get stuff done doesn't seem like enough...

be still, my soul;

the waves and winds still know his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below

gooooo dawgs!

since we were rained in today we couldn't go to a dawg game watching party so we stayed in with our dog to cheer on the dawgs. that's a lot of dawgs in one sentence!

so excited that football season is here, i only wish we lived closer to athens!

meatless meals

i'm not the biggest meat eater and could go without it on most days (beside Chick-Fil-A of course :) but i never thought that joe would join me in this. surprisingly i've sneaked in meatless meals, and he even suggests them from time to time.

this pasta dish became a staple for us this summer. pasta, goat cheese, and basil oil...what more could you want? we made variations including this one here with angel hair and tomatoes. i like to think of it as adult macaroni and cheese :)

this couscous recipe joe picked out and made and it was delicious. a great flavor combination and i would have never thought to combine cumin and cilantro to balance each other out. this one got compliments from both of our coworkers when we took leftovers.

we are trying to make more meatless meals for both nutritional and monetary reasons. it's also a great way to try new recipes we otherwise wouldn't have thought of!

i left my heart in san francisco...

well at least a part of it. san francisco stole a piece of my heart before i even visited. maybe it was full house, maybe it was iconic pictures of the golden gate bridge, whatever it was it was on my must see places to visit! i've been able to go three times now, including a week last summer, and every time i go i fall more in love. i think living in new orleans has made me appreciate cities with unique character and san fran has that!

this time it was for work so i didn't get tons of free time but i did get to explore and enjoy a few things i'd never done before like:

the japanese tea garden in golden gate park. i love golden gate park and was pleasantly surprised by this serene little alcove tucked away in the middle. it was perfect sipping jasmine tea on a cool day in august (only in san fran!)

sf moma. there was an excellent french exhibit filled with matisse and picasso (pre-cubism) and i enjoyed an amazing piece of velvet cake with chocolate ganache (featured on the food networks best thing i ever ate) accompanied by slow drip blue bottle coffee at the cafe in the sculpture garden on the roof.

uc berkeley. two days of my training was in berkeley and i enjoyed getting to know this eclectic college town. cal's campus is beautiful!

while walking around downtown berkeley i found a hello kitty yogurt shop, i'll admit this was a highlight of my day.

although my training was long i enjoyed getting to enjoy fall temperatures for a week, enjoy several delicious restaurants, and even seen friends and family. san fran is quickly becoming my second favorite us city, too bad it's so far away from the south :)

we made two years

i'm not sure if it's the same as when referring to a birthday in new orleans lingo but i think it is, so i'll say we made two years. on seven eleven joe and i celebrated two years of marriage. i can honestly say the second year was harder than the first, but much sweeter in many ways. i can't think of anyone else in the world i'd want to "make" all my days with.

he planned a special anniversary surprise day which was such a treat because he's never done this before! i'll admit i'm one of the worst people to surprise because i ask so many questions and usually figure things out, but this time it worked! he used groupons and living socials for much of the day and planned out a relaxed and enjoyable day filled with us.

coffee at one of our favorite spots

lunch at il posto with fresh squeezed lemonade and bruschetta grilled cheese

my first massage. probably the first time ever (except the beach) i just relaxed for a whole hour.

i came home to be sweet cupcakes

followed by a stroll in the city park sculpture garden. a nola hidden treasure!

ending the evening with a delicious dinner at the restaurant we ate at the night we got engaged.

the pièce de résistance that happened on a different day (after being re-scheduled 3 times due to rain!) an aerial tour of new orleans. this was one of the coolest things i've ever done and made me feel like i was on an episode of the bachelorette :)

a lovely day i will cherish the memories of. here's to many more years in the making.

BON APPÉTIT

so i failed at monday meals, who was i kidding? but i still want to share recipes that we use because to me there is nothing better than a kitchen tested (by a commoner like me) recipe.

my mom passed along her love of magazines to me, which comes in handy when i'm home because she passes down the magazines themselves. someone gave her a copy of this month's bon appetit which i immediately fell in love with, but thats a post for another day.

this month's issue features gwyneth paltrow who besides being breathtakingly beautiful and artistically talented decided to write a cookbook. she includes fresh, seasonal ingredients and mixes things up with things you wouldn't think of putting together (peaches and adobo sauce) and things you (and by that i mean i) wouldn't dream of eating (anchovies). in an attempt to branch out, in blind recipe faith i've already purchased the ingredients for several recipes included in the article.

you can read the full article here and by the end you will feel like you and gwyneth are bff's sipping wine in her london kitchen as you cook.

last week we tried the grilled chicken with peach bbq sauce and according to my husband who rates all of our meals for fun "it was one of the best things we've cooked." i think it is the sweet and spicy combo, not to mention a good excuse to use some of the delicious ga peaches we brought back, that seals the deal.

please excuse the gross iphone quality picture below. gwyneth serves hers with corn and mixed greens salad, we chose a brussels sprouts recipe we like and the recipe on the back of the coucous box. she also uses a real grill and we had to settle for the george foreman because we were out of lighter fluid. i look forward to making it again on the "real" grill! the chicken has to marinate for 20 min but other than that this is an easy weeknight meal that is a fun twist on traditional bbq chicken.

i'll most certainly have to follow up with a post on the pasta including anchovies, i'm a little scared!

third times a charm

our (being the futrells) dearest family friends have had three special weddings in less than two years. all three siblings have gotten engaged and married, to wonderful people i might add, and we've had the pleasure of being involved with each one. it should also be made known that this family gave hours and hours of service to us for my wedding. that's just how we roll, we help.

so for carly's wedding my mom and i stepped up one last time to do flowers. carly chose vibrant pink peonies for her bridesmaids, delicate white flowers for herself, and gorgeous gladiolas and orchids for the arrangements. carly's bouquet also included lily of the valley, which was part of kate middleton's bouquet, as a tribute to andrew her husband who is from england. if i do say so myself hers was just as pretty as kate's!

i'll let the pictures below tell the story, it was a lot of work, well worth it to celebrate a dear friend i've known most of her life:

from clipping greenery and filling up the back of my trusty old explorer i had in highschool, to crashing on the floor with lacey it was all worth it! the arrangements complimented carly's vision and wedding colors so well.

she was an absolutely stunning bride as you can see and her sister (my longest best) was the matron of honor. the wedding was also special because i got to meet corinne's (my other best) boyfriend 2 days before he became her fiance. so many things to celebrate!

and all of the flowers could not have been done without my wonderful mother who designed, ordered, cut, trimmed, clipped, carried, filled, and poured her heart into the project. i am only a lowly assistant.

for beautiful photos and recap of the day check out chupp photography who just happens to carly and erin's brother and his wife. can we say one talented family?!

if april showers bring may flowers, then what do may flowers bring?

may flowers bring finals, snoballs, house guests, and crawfish.

spring was an absolute blur (that sounds like the best excuse i can come up with for not blogging, i know it's not a good one :)

between full time jobs, teaching, taking finals, administering and grading finals, setting up our house and having people staying with us almost every weekend since we moved in there have been few moments of down time!

when we did get a break we spent it outside because spring in new orleans is the most beautiful season, eating loads and loads of crawfish, and enjoying our friends and family.

summer is a nice time in the dunaway house because we are both at work without "kids," the mister without 4-10 year olds and me without tulane students so we get to ride to work together, come home early, and i get to work out at the gym without waiting 30 min for an elliptical, its the little things!

monday meals easter edition

happy easter! we had joe's parents here for the weekend and decided to make an easter brunch because they had to get on the road and wanted a light(er) meal. the menu included:

grape salad with feta

goat cheese bruschetta

sweet pea grits

shrimp, spinach, tomato, and goat cheese frittata

we broke out the china, crystal, silver, and even the linen napkins for the occasion! i must say i've never made a frittata before and it was easy and delicious. it's in the background of this picture but it was one of the highlights of the meal. joe's mom found the recipe in a magazine and it was so easy

shrimp, spinach, tomato, and goat cheese frittata

4 eggs

4 egg whites

1/3 cup chopped tomatoes

dash of chili powder

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

12 shrimp

1 small shallot, chopped

1 cup packed fresh spinach chopped

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

you whisk the eggs, egg whites, tomatoes, chili powder, basil, salt and pepper

saute shrimp with the canola oil, salt, pepper (1 min) add shallot (2 min) add spinach

pour egg mixture over shrimp, shallot, and spinach

sprinkle goat cheese on top

let frittata set in the skillet then bake at 400F for 13-15 minutes

it was like a quiche, only better if that's possible :) the sweet pea grits and grape and feta salad were from the edible school yard here in new orleans, if you want the recipes let me know!

monday meals

i've seen monday meals on other blogs, and with our love for cooking it only makes sense to share the recipes we find. our first year of marriage we tried new recipes every week. now we still try to make new things, but allow ourselves to rely on old favorites. here are two of our recent favorites:

the pioneer woman's pasta salad with tomatoes, zucchini, and feta

this was a perfect friday dinner meal. easy to fix, and light and fresh. we used whole wheat shells because that is what we had and added some chicken sausage for good measure. it also makes a lot of leftovers, if you only have two to feed, and tastes even better the second time!

real simple's chipotle pork loin with black beans

i've been on a spicy/lime/carribean kick and this recipe covered all those! the pork was super easy to make, and the black bean salad completed the meal. we've already made the black bean salad again, and actually the second time ate it more like a salsa, great both times! we added extra avocado (because we eat more avocados per week than most people) and more lime juice just because.

i'm hoping most of the recipes i choose have good pictures online because i strongly dislike the food pictures i take, and wouldn't want to subject you to them. maybe erin can help me learn how to take better ones :)

great date experiment

i've been wanting to do this for a while, and right before things got crazy with mardi gras, the move, and midterms we finally went out on date one. north point community church in atlanta has a ministry called marriagelife which developed the great date experiment. it is a series of dates designed to get married couples out of their routine, spending more time with each other, and a little fun thrown in. we went out on date one and had a fabulous time!

the dates consist of activities in stages and questions to go along with them. this date included a different place for an appetize, dinner, and dessert along with a few surprises. it was quality time at its best. check out the marriage life website to experiment on your own!

28 and feeling great. and loved.

a birthday post is over a month over-due but definitely in order. my birthday was extra special this year because my parents were here helpling us move into our house, and for the first time in five years i got to spend it with them. although the day started out rough with a trip to three dmvs (not worth hearing believe me) my family quickly made up for it with a makeover with my mom, a new dress, tulips, dinner at our favorite thai restaurant, doberge cake (if you don't know what this is, look it up!) and sweet gifts. mr. d suprised me with my first longchamp bag, my parents with gifts for the house, and my aunt with beautiful jewelry and house gifts as well. it wasn't about the gifts at all but being surrounded by those most important to me. my cup runneth over.

These Days

February was a blur! Preparing to close on our house, packing, classes, teaching, working, family in town, going out of town for work, a wedding, getting ready for Mardi Gras, Mardi Gras...Just thinking about it vexes me! (to quote Gladiator which Joe made me watch last night).

So far in March we have started off with a bang!

Mardi Gras. A wonderful whirl wind of king cake, beads, friends, floats, parties, parades, and indulgence. If you haven't experienced it, you should, and if you have a bad impression of it, you shouldn't. It's a wonderful time of celebration, but we are all a little excited to see it end. You can only have so much fun :)

This has nothing to do with March, but it's reason #14567 why I love Chick-Fil-A. I love ketchup almost as much as I love CFA, but I despise the packets. The solution, a dip and squeeze! Leave it to CFA to solve the packet dilemma :)

Last, but certainly not least, our cute new house! Well new to us, it was built in the late 1800's. We are officially New Orleans homeowners and we couldn't be happier! I sincerely apologize for the poor phone picture quality, it is in now way reflective of how I feel about the house.

More pictures to come, and pictures of the inside when everything is unpacked, if that ever happens :) We do have a nice guest room though for anyone wanting to visit!

pups on deck

happy monday! my mom sent me this picture and i can't look at it and not smile. since we have been living with family maple is staying with her grandparents and aunt lacey. at first aunt lacey would not acknowledge her existence, now they are quite the odd couple! my dad and uncle just redid my parents deck and the pups have been helping along the way. maple has become lacey's personal trainer and lacey has taught maple how to act like a grown up dog and that chewing on things, climbing on the furniture, and jumping on people is just not cool. although we can't wait to have her back, she will miss the deck, the huge backyard, and her new other half:

the odd couple :)

hello february

i'm not quite sure how it is already february, but then again so much has happened!

in ten days in 1/11 i started a new job, we bought a car, and we put an offer on another house. i think i'm pretty much done for 2011! we are trusting the Lord with this one and if this is the house for us we will make it to closing, if not we are learning a whole lot about trust!

as for my january goals:

-lose 5 pounds

- purge stuff

- budget

- exercise 4 times a week

- finish one book

i did lose the 5 pounds, which probably had a lot to do with meeting the exercise goal, every week i exercised 5 days so that goal was exceeded! as for purging stuff, budgeting and finishing that book that didn't happen. maybe because january was so exciting!

so for february i aim to:

-finish one book (it has to happen sometime)
-purge as we pack up our boxes to move into our new home (hopefully!)
-close on our new home, closing day is february 28th!
-budget as we prepare for home ownership and look towards the future!
-continue to exercise 5 days a week

since i don't have any creative pictures of goal oriented things i leave you with the beauty of carnival season...

a blog to come on this confectionery delight!

boot love

last year i was brave and bought my first pair of boots, other than my timberlands i had in 7th grade of course. i say brave because i thought boots were "trendy", and i'm not very good at pulling off trendy. i found this pair of boots on the clearance rack at tjmaxx for $30 and went for it! i thought, real leather and this cheap, it can't hurt! turns out they were sam edelman boots that were originally over $200, i had no idea but impressed my fashionista friends with my find.

after that i fell in love with boots. i realized they aren't trendy, well maybe they are, but for me they are practical, they keep my feet warm and add style. with such luck with my first find i was picky with purchasing other boots and wouldn't settle for less than a good deal.

enter target. i have a narrow foot and high arch so target shoes doesn't always work for me. however, i'd been wanting a pair of riding boots and ankle boots (yes my boot love is a little excessive) but didn't want to 1) buy some that weren't real leather or 2) spend a lot of money...i'm a high maintenance shopper.

my mom and i were in target a few days after christmas and she found these boots...real leather and for some reason 50% off on clearance. they are still regular price online so they must have just needed to make room for new inventory. check out my finds:

these riding boots are so comfortable and a great color. i've gotten numerous complements when i wear them, and yesterday a coworker asked if they were frye boots, the ultimate boot compliment!

these beauties are not as cheesy as they look in the picture. they are a little lighter and more distressed. they look cute with jeans or a skirt!

i'm glad i waited for something that met my shopping standards and with both being 50% i got two pairs for the original price of one. that is my kind of bargain!

blog love

i love blogs. i love the learning, reading, and sharing of life that happens. this year i got many ideas for christmas gifts and it gave me an opportunity to bake, craft, and save!

design a-peele blogged about these great etsy earrings which i ordered for a friend! so cute!

imperfect provided the instructions and printable tags for these smore jars, they were a hit!

also from imperfect these totebags or "treat bags" as my niece called them were a perfect inexpensive gift. with 5 young nieces and nephews we are always looking for gift ideas. these were the most popular, or at least the most entertaining gifts and hopefully useful!

my dear friend is living in russia doing college ministry. she is a fellow dietitian and a fabulous baker! she posted this recipe that she adapted from betty crocker and they were delicious!

i'm thankful for blogs in this season to keep me creative and thrifty!

two thousand eleven

eleven is my number. it's my birthday and anniversary (neither my due date or our planned wedding date) so it kind of chose me. silly as it may be, it fits me. it's prime so it's indivisible yet it's symmetric. all the mathematical rambling to say, i think it's going to be a good year :)

starting the year off right with mini chocolate fudge cakes with ganache frosting

historically (that sounded a little dramatic) i am not good at keeping resolutions that i make for the new year. i'm a little better at those that i make at my birthday, but still not the best. so i'm trying a new idea, monthly goals. several blogs i've seen do this, and it seems like it would be better for me. so for 1/11...

-lose the 5 pounds i didn't have room to gain over the holidays (this is really so i have room to gain for all the king cake i will be eating :)

- purge stuff. it's not my nature to do this, but when i do it reminds me of what is really important and makes me feel better in general! check out this blog for challenge to purge 111 things in 1/11. with us in temporary housing i think this is a good a time as any!

- budget. this is something we haven't prioritized and i'm excited to become more disciplined in this area. did i just use excited and disciplined in the same sentence?

- exercise 4 times a week. not my ultimate goal but starting at a tangible goal is key for me.

- finish one book. i have this issue of starting books and never finishing. let's go as far to say that there are dozens of books i've started.

so that's it. i have overall 2011 goals of taking more pictures, being better at getting birthday cards/presents to people, learning how to be a better wife, and being more disciplined in general but let's stick to the january goals for now!

happy 2011!