top oscar 2013 moments & looks.

1. Anne Hathaway's gracious and humble acceptance speech.
2. Jennifer Lawrence's fall up the stairs (this girl is hilarious... falling has never looked so good!)
3. Adele's live performance. 
4. Ben Affleck's "thank you" to his wife, Jennifer Garner. 

Here were my favorite looks of the evening:

Naomi Watts, Armani Prive via

Jennifer Lawrence, Dior Couture via

Kerry Washington, Miu Miu via

Sandra Bullock, Elie Saab via

Jennifer Garner, Gucci via

Watching the Oscars this past Sunday night was a treat because Sunday nights are our youth nights and normally I would not have been home to see them. But since I was sick and felt terrible Saturday night through Monday morning, I was home stuck on the couch and got to watch. Did anyone else watch this past Sunday night? What were your favorite moments and looks of the evening? 

must reads.

just some articles/posts that have encouraged me and made me think lately... 

1. The Dark Side of Creativity

2. The To-Don't List

3. The ABC's of Me

4. Mandisa's Valentine's Letter to her Future Husband

via

enjoy :)

valentines day recap.

i absolutely adore valentines day. hands down, its my favorite holiday. i love the colors, the crafts, the hearts, the expressions of love. my mom always made it so special growing up that it never phased me if i was single. it was hard this year not being close to family, as my mom usually hosts a valentine's dinner. however, brian and i were able to spend it with our college students and fellow young adults, and this was special in itself. 

i subbed in a 2nd grade classroom for half the day and came home to some goodies from my boo, family, and friends. 

i made these little hearts for the girls we would be seeing that night at dinner filled with a piece of chocolate and a love letter from Jesus. i attached a pencil with a clothespin to each one. 

the young adult/college ministry is called "morph." we all got dressed up, met at the church, and then went into the city for a nice dinner. 

it was a great time of bonding and to be reminded of our Savior's unconditional love for us!

happy valentines day!

a blessed birthday brunch.

i went home to cincinnati this past weekend for my birthday. my mom organized a little get-together with some friends in the area. i seriously have so many amazing people in my life!

i took gunther home with me so i could show him off to my friends. we played "pass the kitty" so everyone could hold him. then we let him play around everyone. he knew that he was the star of the morning!

even though everyone might not understand my love for kitties (orange ones in particular), allison does. she has two kitties of her own who are going to be fast friends with little gunther.

i was so blessed to be able to spend saturday morning with so many wonderful women. i was totally feeling the love. 

like i said, allison totally understands my love for kitties...and baking... so she got me this adorable Kitten Aid print. it is perfect and looks just like my gunther. 

and it goes oh so well in my kitchen!

new kitten, lots of wonderful friends, and brunch. 24 started off perfectly. 

meet Gunther.

it's finally happened, y'all. i finally got my orange kitten for my birthday last week. 

let's just say that i am in love. 

meet Gunther, my orange tabby. he is nine weeks old. 

likes: 

• snuggling with mommy 
• watching dad play video games
• chasing his toy dragonfly 
• chasing his tail
• walking on mom's keyboard when she's using her laptop
• exploring anything and everything 

dislikes:

• being alone

here is a picture of him when we brought him home last week:

                               

the shelter had named him comet originally. i love this picture of him so much!

looking out the window on the way to his new home!

"don't leave me mom!"

getting out some energy

"pay attention to me!"

"where i like to nap."

very interested in my morning tea

morning snuggle time... boy, does he make it hard to start getting ready for work in the mornings!

i am in love. 

Gunther was born on the very day that we moved to toledo and was ready to be adopted just in time for my birthday. since one of the perks of moving here was getting a kitten, i'd say this was pretty meant to be. i believe our Heavenly Father cares about the "little things" our heart desires... and yes, He blessed me with this orange ball of sweetness! 

Guest post at Heart Stirrings-Praying for your Future Spouse

Hi ladies! I am honored to be posting on Natalie's blog today. Today I am talking about my experience praying for my husband. Check it out here! Thanks so much Natalie for asking me to be a part of your blog today :) 

two layer carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

This past weekend was Brian's birthday and carrot cake is his absolute favorite. This is my mother-in-law's recipe and it never fails to please. 

ingredients:



cake

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 2 tsp of heaping cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil
• 2 cups of sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups of finely grated carrots
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts

frosting

• 1 package of cream cheese
• 1 stick of softened, real butter
• 2 tsp of vanilla
• 1 box of confectioners sugar
• 1 cup of chopped pecans

For the cake...

• Combine oil and sugar. Mix well.
• Add eggs one at a time and beat well.   
• Gradually add dry ingredients and mix well.
• Add carrots and mix.
• Stir in nuts.
• 
• Pour batter in 2 greased and floured nine inch (round or square) pans. 

For the frosting...

1. Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. 
2. Gradually add confectioners sugar. 

Frost each layer of cake when it is completely cooled. Easy peasy! 

(if you happen to be making this cake for a boy who loves lego blocks, light up the cake with some lego candles! yes, my hubby is 28 and loves legos.)