Favorites of 2007

Well, the year is coming to an end and the other day I took some time to reflect back on all the good times and things I discovered through out 2007. It has been a great year. Thad and I had our 1st wedding anniversary on June 10th, our first nephew was born (Tate; he is soo cute!), Thad started school at Palmer College of Chiropractic in October, my sister Kristin and best friend Liz got engaged to be married this spring/summer 2008, we got to visit our good friends Kali and Andy in Denver, CO exploring the Rockies, vacationing in Wisconsin and Minnesota this summer with family, I had my first couple of art shows in the Quad cities, and we have met so many great couples and friends through Heritage Wesleyan Church enjoying small groups and other crazy fun-ness. :)

God has blessed us so much in the past year, looking back on it helps me to recognize those blessings I didn't even know existed. Even the little things daily that make you smile. :) Here is a list (in no particular order) of some of my favorite things I discovered this year...

Reusable Bags and produce bags from Reusablebags.com

Saves plastic and makes it easier to carry groceries over the shoulder. These string bags hold up to 40 lbs. Now I don't have loads of extra plastic bags cluttering under the counter. Makes me smile.:)










Klean Kanteen
...helps my water to taste so good and klean.:) 27 oz. is perfect for traveling and
taking to work...another good one(Thad's favorite)...SIGG.

Scoop of peanut butter

---my new favorite snack...yummy!

Homemade Pesto
...we like to mix in with whole wheat noodles or to spread over pizza crust...homemade pesto pizza, yum! I think its a new favorite! Here is the recipe:

1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
2 c. firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 c.grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and quartered
1/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
(I also like to add a little lemon juice for flavor)

In food processor or blender, mix all ingredients and toss with noodles. You can keep it in the fridge up to 2 days and freeze up to 3 months. Enjoy!

Dr. Bronners...

...like I have talked about before in a previous post, its an all-purpose mild soap that has so many uses! Everyone should have this in their household. Peppermint is my favorite.

TAZO and YOGI tea...yummy! I like the white tea with blueberry and cranberry flavors.

so good....so good.:)

Pomogranate over my salad...It's so juicy I don't even need any dressing!

David Crowder Band new CD "Remedy"...love it...love it.:)

Ikea plant pots

...they make me smile; I enjoy having plants in my kitchen and bathroom to absorb moisture so it doesn't feel so stagnant. They have such a clean and simple design.

Organic blue agave

....perfect for sweetening my oatmeal; so I don't use any sugar.










Cricut!

---I just got this for Christmas from my mom. It cuts out tons of different images on paper for scrapbooking and card making. By tons of images I mean tons! There are so many cartridges you can buy with different fonts, shapes, characters, sayings, etc. I am having fun exploring and creating.:)

Have a Happy New Year!!