Dreamy Wedding Photos

Does anybody else LOVE these wedding photos? I might just have to show them to our photographers to copy... that is if we had photographers... But really, they make me want to go look for a good field, some tall trees, and a long driveway out in Nolensville, which shouldn't be a problem since they are both in my front yard and there are several more around :)

These photos are from this wonderful blog.

Need a Little Help!

Harvest Hands (the place where I work in the summer) is currently 27th in the nationwide Christie Cookie $25,000 Charity Giveaway!

The top 12 charities on October 15th will win grant money from The Christie Cookie Company 1st: $10,000, 2nd: $5,000 & Top 10: $1,000 each

We need YOUR help!

Please help us spread the word to your friends, families, co-workers, classmates, Sunday school class, Bible study group, running group, etc.! Simply click here to vote and then send this info to your your friends to encourage them to vote for Harvest Hands!
One vote per email address. Deadline: October 15th

Thanks!!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

College life is staying pretty busy as suspected. It's taking some time just to get adjusted to the new time schedule, but all is well. I am in two art classes: drawing and digital photography which will both be great, but BAD NEWS, I am a horrible drawer. I knew this going into the class. I really just want to learn. So today I picked up my sketch pad and tomorrow I'll be getting my pencils to get my drawing on. This weekend I went to an art exhibit downtown and volunteered at the Memphis Botanical Gardens. They are fabulous so if you're in the area you should definitely check them out.

Anyways, my exciting adventure today was to make some All-Natural Laundry Detergent. Directions:

1 cup grated soap
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup washing soda

Mix well and add essential oils if you want. You are supposed to use Ivory Soap, but I had some all-natural soap laying around so I am trying that. I haven't actually used this detergent yet, but I have heard rave reviews. It is much healthier than all of those chemicals in your typical store-bought detergents and much much cheaper. I will have to let you know how it works out!

Reception Table Centerpieces

Well, I am moved in to school and experiencing the very typical first week rush of going to classes for the first time, seeing all of the friends I missed so much, starting up work, and so on and so forth. Anyways, with all of this craziness and a long to-do list for tomorrow's student activity fair, I only had a minute or two to post so I grabbed this picture I had tucked away in a wedding inspiration folder. It is a picture of a reception centerpiece with different size/shape vases (you can kind of see them), which I love and will do for mine and Andrew's wedding. I have already started collecting said vases at thrift stores around the city in order to create these centerpieces. I have milk glass, green glass, and clear glass to mix it up. Hopefully they will look just as great, be a bit "green" with all the reusing and recycling, and add a great personal, unique touch!

And grazie to the readers... Thanks for all of the great "all-natural" ideas! Let me know how they work out (for those people that are just starting out). I would love to know so I can use them too. Also, one of my most wonderful friends gave me lots of new all-natural goodies today including some face wash, shampoo, and body soap so I will have to try them out and let you guys know how they go.

On the move...

I won't be posting for a few more days because I am headed to Memphis for school. I am excited to see friends and breath in the air of Memphis and taste some of its wonderful food! If you live anywhere close to Memphis, it is totally worth a weekend trip to check out its rich history not only in music, but also in Civil Rights as well as eat their really good food. Because it's really good! (Can I say that anymore? yes! :) ) So many local restaurants I could take out a small loan just for eating out. Anyways, just thought I should let you faithful readers know that I had not run away for another month of no posts. I also should let you know that I bought a wedding dress today and am so thrilled with it!!! I would post pictures and such, but I want to keep it a surprise :) It's a bit vintage, a bit modern.... very me. With that out of the way, I am ready to get some other things done. Until the next post... Happy Weekend to you all!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

As promised, here is the recipe for the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies that I baked the other night. I am not by any means a great baker, but these are a very tasty basic recipe. We've all been eating way too many of them, which I guess is proof that they are good. (I've even had them for breakfast the past two mornings. :) )

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter/ margarine, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or a bit more if you use unsalted butter/margarine)
  
• 3 cups quick-cooking oats (I used all-natural whole grain oats, which tasted great and made the cookies healthy right?!?)
  
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (I used walnuts in only half of my batch so I used 1/2 cup. You can also try pecans.)
  
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F if you are not planning on chilling the dough or wait till after you make the dough if you are chilling it so you don't waste energy.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips.
3. Chill in the fridge for about 30 mins. You don't have to if you are wanting them right this very minute, but it will prevent the cookies from spreading too much as you bake them.
   
4. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven for the non-nut-containing cookies, a bit more for those containing nuts and a bit less (try 12 mins) for unchilled dough. Let them cool for a mins and enjoy!
   

Vote on my New Haircut!

I am planning on getting my hair cut before I head to Memphis for this fall semester. I haven't gotten it cut since May so it really needs a good shaping up. I've been sifting through pictures to find that perfect new "'do" and have come up with these two as my faves. They are both quite a bit shorter than my hair now, but I need a good change. They are also very similar. Let me know which one you like most or post some new pics for consideration!
PS- Speaking of hair. My No'Poo is still amazing me. My hair feels wonderfully moisturized without being greasy and has lots of body!