{Countdown}

I'm counting down the days until March 23rd, the official release date of the first Hunger Games movie. And it gets even better, because the release date for the Catching Fire movie, the 2nd book in the trilogy, has been announced for November 22, 2013. I also got the info on the cast:

Katniss Everdeen: Jennifer Lawrence (Raven/Mystique from X-Men: First Class)

Peeta Mellark: Josh Hutcherson (Laser from The Kids Are All Right)

Gale Hawthorne: Liam Hemsworth (hot guy from the terrible movie The Last Song)

Primrose Everdeen (probably my favorite character): Willow Shields

Effie Trinket: Elizabeth Banks

President Snow: Donald Sutherland

Cinna: Lenny Kravitz (weird right?)

Rue: Amandla Stenberg

Haymitch Abernathy: Woody Harrelson

Seneca Crane: Wes Bentley

Ceasar Flickerman: Stanley Tucci (love this actor)

Directed by Gary Ross

"May the odds be ever in your favor!"

{Bon Iver}

Calgary.

Best artist. best album.

I literally listen to it all day long and I have yet to be sick of it. I don't think I ever will.

{JuJu Berry}

Guess who has a new froyo place? We do. Yes, Marion is moving up in the world with the healthy alternative to ice cream. Jordan and I have taken about eight or nine trips to JuJu Berry in the two weeks it has been open. And every night, it is packed out with people dying to get a bowl of the stuff. I have to say, it can be overwhelming your first time. I mean, there are just so many options. Thankfully I don't have to worry about deciding - I go with original tart every time.

look at those faces? Can't you just taste the joy? 

{My First Pie}

For our friend Hannah's return home after being sick with the mono, we threw a party. A party to celebrate her health and also an excuse for our group of friends to have a summer grill out with yummy food.

The breakdown of the meal: grilled chicken sandwiches, corn on the cob with honey butter, roasted veggies, pasta salad, lime chips and salsa, and juicy peaches. Beth and I organized the meal, Jordan and Cam handled the meat, and Han helped with the rest. Thankfully the girls live next door, so we had two kitchens and lots of space to work, including our great big porch for the boys to do the grilling business. 

My favorite part of the night was surprising Han with a blueberry pie. My first pie ever, and I think it turned out to be a success. Really, I was glad to finally get domestic and spend the entire day in the kitchen. It felt so good.

YUMMMMM.

{summer snacks}

 This week I have been inspired by food. I have made it my new goal to experiment and put a little more effort into what I make and put into my body. With this new mindset, I spent over three hours yesterday devouring my cooking binder, which is an amazing tool and work of art my Mother made for me as a wedding gift. She clipped articles on food tips, saved recipes from magazines and books, and then organized all of the hundreds of clippings into categories for me to refer to as I cook and learn more about food. I found great ideas for meals and new ways to use herbs and spices that I never knew existed. I had way too much fun, and it didn't stop there. 

After I finished with the binder, I moved on to blogs. Food blogs, video blogs about food, and websites that offer healthy and unique recipes. Next, I went to my cookbooks. After hours of this, I finally narrowed down our shopping list for the week with each meal planned as well as some new desserts to attempt. Wow. 

So today I started out with a few of my summer favorites. 

 1. Salsa. I have blogged about homemade salsa before, but I need to mention it again. This is what I crave all summer long, and I finally got to make it today. I use Roma tomatoes, green and red pepper, onion, garlic, salt, cilantro, and fresh lime. perfection.

 

 

2. My drink of choice in the hot months: crystal light lime margarita flavored lemonade mixed with cranberry pomegranate juice. I think I have already drank 3 glasses today.

3. Cheddar and horseradish cheese spread with wheat thins. Perfect for a mid-day snack. This one is a childhood favorite of mine. 

Food is good.

What is your favorite summer snack or recipe? I would love to have some more ideas to add to my collection.

{DIY Beauty}

 

summer salt scrub:

mix ingredients in order on label with the largest portion being sea salt, then top it off with coconut oil. Last, add about 30 orange drops and stir with a butter knife. Found on deliciously organized. 

  

All of these ingredients make a killer fask mask:

Apple+Honey+Oatmeal

Avocado+Honey

banana+Yogurt+Honey

Brown Sugar+Milk

Strawberries+Cream+Honey

Egg Yolk+Honey+Olive Oil

Oatmeal+Olive Oil

Cucumber+Yogurt+Strawberries+Honey

Blended Almonds+Honey+Egg White

Baking Soda+Water

Apricots+Milk

Lemon+Egg+Honey

(from planetgreen.com)

{wish list}

 

stepping stones necklace 

 

block it like its hot dress 

   

passport cover

go everywhere tote

 

 

ixora kitten heels

I have been craving a shopping trip lately, but the reality is, we can't afford that. So instead I just browse online through my favorite stores and find the items that I might someday purchase (but I doubt I ever will).

All of these items fit my summer mood right now, but what I am really looking forward to is fall. Fall weather and fall fashion. You just wait, my blog will be all about fall once it comes. I can't get enough.

One Day on Earth - Motion Picture Trailer from One Day On Earth on Vimeo.

beautiful right? This is gonna be good.

Bests

My bests from home were here to visit yesterday. They came to Indiana for tattoos, but ended up coming to Marion for a final goodbye before our dear Elise heads out to Virgina. I hadn't seen these girls since the wedding, and it was a delight to have them back even if it was only for a few hours.

I know I blog about my friends a lot, maybe a bit too much, but they are too awesome not to mention every so often.

Lazy Sundays

This weekend we decided to have breakfast and devotions in bed. There is just something about fluffy hot pancakes that makes your day slightly happier and a little more sleepy than usual. Our lazy breakfast turned into a lazy Sunday when we realized that the two heaping piles of dirty laundry weren't going to disappear on their own....so we made our second trip to the laundromat (and of course we didn't forget our Hunger Games books). It's amazing how tired you can become after folding hot clothes for a few hours.

Really it was another fun day of married life together, and we are thankful to be here, even if we just sit around and do nothing all day.












(aren't those towels the cutest? Big thanks to Mrs. Veenstra for those guys)

House Tour

We are finally settled into our new place, and I am falling more in love with it everyday. I have been craving this....especially after living in cramped dorm rooms for the past three years. Some may say our house is small, but it feels huge to me.

One thing is for sure, I am officially a neat freak. I literally can't stop cleaning and re-organizing everything. Also, I have never slept in a more comfortable bed than our new queen sized "cloud" (we named it). It just sucks you in and doesn't let you out. Getting up for classes in the fall will be a struggle.

Anyway, here it is!