Fall 2011 trends....

Some of fall 2011's trends..from the runways to the stores. Obviously, the consumer versions are a lot more wearable.

1. Faux Fur

Piperlime

2. the feminized hiking boot

Nine West

3. Animal Print & 4. the tie neck blouse

Piperlime

5. Polka dots and 6. classic black and white

White House, Black Market

7. Feminine lace details

8. Simple and Preppy Cardigans

9. Mod "Mad Men" inspired pieces - like this 60's shift dress

Lilly Pulitzer

10. Granny plaids

Gap






AnthropologieJ. CrewLilly PulitzerAnn Taylor Loft

11. Mustard hues

12. Leather

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I have been eating lowcarb and its the same old food night after night, so I have recently become quite the little cook. I love discovering new recipes that are healthy yet different.









One of my new favorites is the cauliflower pizza crust.

Ingredients needed for the crust:
1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower (I usually use 1.5 cups of riced cauliflower)
1 egg
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp fennel
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley


other ingredients:
low carb pizza sauce
toppings including meat, veggies


INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Farenheit.
2. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
3. In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Press evenly on the pan. Sprinkle evenly with fennel, oregano and parsley.
4. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you double the recipe).
5. go ahead and cook all your toppings including the meat.
6. Remove the pan from the oven. To the crust, add sauce, then toppings and cheese.
7. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted.

TIPS:

• Because the crust is cheesy, you dont need much cheese


• if you are eating low carb, you may want to cut out the tomato sauce and just put the topping


• on my pizza, I put grilled zuchinni and chicken with parmeson sprinkled on top YUM
  

Extra cranberry sauce please

I am an INCREDIBLY practical person -- I love to see results. Currently I am dieting (losing those last 10-15 pounds) and I can fit into clothes I couldnt wear 3 weeks ago and I have lost inches but I have only lost maybe 5 pounds. I HATE THIS. I know part of it is that I have very little to lose so it goes slower. Part of it is that I am losing inches then my body drops the pounds, but I like to see the scale move down so I know I really am losing weight! I like the affirmation of a smaller number staring down at me each morning!

All that to say, I LOVE when you see God answer the smallest of prayers... I always find this as a small comfort that the Lord hears even my smallest requests for help... or for good things...if he hears those requests and can provide for small things - like a much needed afternoon off or when your money is tight for that month and you recieve a check in the mail for you old apartment's deposit. Little signs of God's blessings! Little signs he hears our smallest requests. Just like the scale moving down each day or week, its affirmation (that we arent guranteed and don't deserve) that God hears and loves us, that He can answer prayers and He can provide blessings...

I love to read Andree Seu at World magazine. She writes a blog almost every day and each day encourages me. One thing I admire about her is that she is involved in atleast one imate's life (maybe a couple more, I can't remember...) She corresponds with him and encourages him in his growing faith and he encourages others in the prison. One day he told her that his favorite thing in the cafeteria was "cranberry sauce" and while saying is prayers the day they were serving the sauce, he included the seemingly trivial request, "Lord, please can I have extra cranberry sauce..." He then thought nothing of it. Later that day, he sat down for dinner next to another gentleman. The man clearly did not feel well. He stared at his food then without touching it, got up and left. The inmate who had prayed for the sauce reached over and took the cranberry sauce from his tray. In a very real way, the Lord reminded him (and me when I read this!) that he can meet our smallest requests - so of course he can provide for our big requests too...

I have now begin taking the approach of praying for "extra cranberry sauce" most daily for myself, my family and my friends.

Sure, It would be nice if all my school loans were paid off - but just the small blessing of extra money one month is encouraging.
Sure, I would love to lose these last ten pounds quicker, but sliding into a pair of jeans that were too tight is encouraging.
Sure, some people are in pain with terminal illnesses that maybe the Lord has yet to heal, but receiving a weekend where the pain seems to be less is a small blessing.
Yes, I would love to have met the right man, but at times when I haven't been dating and am discouraged, a fun date (even with someone who turns out not to be Mr. Right) is encouragement from the Lord, an extra helping of cranberry sauce.

I also encourage you to read about Spurgeon's wife's request for a bird and an opal ring, made halfway as a joke, but God still stepped in and provided. I love this story.

Has anyone else seen extra helpings of cranberry sauce? furniture donated when they needed some? maternity clothes lent? a check comes in the mail at the right time?

God is good.

This post is more for me than anyone else. God is good and I know that. I can't claim that because I have seen a lot of answers to my prayers. Usually situations do not end the way I want. For some reason, I have and always will most likely be "unlucky" Dont be confused by this term though, I am blessed - I have many good things, but I am unlucky (although I technically dont believe in luck) -- I am unlucky in small ways - little things always fall apart and happen.

I was stuck in europe during the volcano and lost a week's worth of salary -- my dad said, wow Katy, you really do have a black cloud over your head. It's small things.

So, I have seen a lot of bad luck in my life. My life seems not to go as easily as others and a lot of dissapointments occur. But I am richly blessed- job, family, friends, a church, etc, etc... So please don't confuse my claim of unluckiness with a lack of gratefulness with the blessings I did not even ask for that I have received.

So, God is good. and not because he answers my prayers - but because when I look back, I see how He walks me through each battle. God is good because He has the power to answer my prayers and maybe one day I will be proclaiming how He did. But even if He doesn't, I know I am praying to someone with the power and strength to do so. God is good because even His no's are used to bring Glory to his name through me. God is good because he gives us things we never asked for -- friends, family, grace for each day. God is good because He knows what I need.

All this to say, God is good - and deep down I know that although I don't live it all the time and I certainly don't feel it.

But saying "God is good, simply trust Him" is something that must be said kindly and by the right person. I honestly think that this is the most improperly used phrase in modern Christianity. If two women were pregnant together and one woman lost her child, the woman who still had a healthy baby can be comforting and say I hope we soon see the Lord's power in this situation and how can I care for you, etc etc etc. But hearing her say "God is good. This is His purpose" falls on deaf ears. Of course you say He is good, He has been clearly and very wonderfully good to you.

I recently used a heartache from years ago to comfort a girl from my church. And although I can't look back and know God's plan for why this particular hardship happened for me and for her, I do know that God intended me to be the comforter for her. He commands us in His word to comfort others just as he has comforted us. Someone who had not been through the same trial could not have provided comfort. Hearing the words "God is good, trust Him" would have seemed arrogant and unencouraging.

This has (obviously) been a real source of frustration for me. Real heartache, real struggle is oftentimes painted over as "trust God" by people who don't understand the struggle. I have never lost a child so I would never be the one to say to a mother who has "just know God is good, trust Him" I might say we serve a great God who can redeem this. I might tell her how heartbroken I am for her, but I wouldn't tell her that this is for her good.

Is God good in that situation? yes of course. Is the situation going to be for her good and for His glory? yes. What was meant for evil (death), can it be used for good? The lord certainly said so to Joseph so it must be true. But it is incredible insensitive to tell this woman that her baby's death is good. She has to learn how he uses this for good on her own and with people who have been there. This will not come immediately. Her pain cannot be overlooked. When sensitivity is shown and when the wound is not so fresh, then the point can be made, then the lesson can be learned.

"God is good" is both the correct answer and the blanket answer. It is the true answer and it in the end, is the most comforting answer, but when used to downplay or overlook one's pain, when used by people who do not know pain in a particular way, it is a blanket answer that seems very insensitive.

I use this phrase incorrectly all the time and I am ineffective when I do, and I may even turn the person off to the truth that He is good because of my ineffectiveness. And, I have been the person tuning out that phrase as well. Possibly we should convey the same theme in a more concerned way -- remind the person that God cares for their pain, not only that their pain is good and for His glory. Because God is good is only half of the story. Pain may be His plan but it also breaks His heart to see our pain. And as I grasp that fact, the fact that the Lord of all creation, hurts for my hurt, cares for every need and dissapointment, I more easily see that He is good.

Blogging.

I am considering blogging again....although I am torn. I think it is a fun way to follow friends lives...but some blogs are overly chatty and detailed. and some are way too personal....

But some are honest fun and as my sister claims is necessary, full of pictures. I journaled for years but find in the computer age, i would rather just type things out...so maybe this could be fun.

No promises...because every time I claim I will "blog" again....I get bored and quit.
Any suggestions on blogging from my friends that are good at it? Topic ideas? etc?

National Champions

22-19 amazing

Confetti celebration

Ran into a sorority friend, Corey Kate, who was sitting in front of us


Celebrating with Daniel and Daddy

Tickets

Thank you stub hub for screwing up our seats and giving us nicer club level seats!

I have no idea why we are kneeling. The lady taking our picture told us too so she could get the entire background....

Downtown area of Glendale

Mandy, another ADPi with me -- and they found tickets.

Daddy and Me - stadium in background

Dorothy and me, another auburn sorority friend

Margaritaville

Chris and Me at the PHX Suns game

Long Time, No See...

I know I have been MIA. I promise to start blogging again. Until then, a few pics from the past few months I've been gone and a couple updates....

Yes, its actually me, posting on my blog. SHOCKER. I am a terrible blogger, but for some reason, I really want to become better at it. Probably for the silly reason of everyone else does it....plus my friend Nikki posted this link with blog topics for the month of January. I know I am late to the game, but I might try that. It should help me get back in the game....When I was travelling in Europe/living in DC, it was easy to keep a blog updated... because I had tons of exciting things to tell people back home, but now I am at home, so usually my friends are a part of my fun memories already. So now I just have to be more creative...

My sister Marley who does have a blog promised me she would show me how to make mine pretty, so I just downloaded a background - YAY ME. Unfortunately trying to figure out how to do it wore me out, so I doubt I write much now.

Small update on life for the past 3 months:

1. Most importantly, in case you haven't heard I am going to be an aunt to a little boy in June....honestly we all wanted a girl but now we are excited about Jack Nolan. I have big plans for him to be an SEC quarterback. I am already working on names (Aunt Katy sounds so OLD)....KK? KiKi? who knows?

2. Auburn won the National Championship. If you did not know this, please don't tell me that you didn't. My daddy took me to glendale for the game and I must say, it was one of the BEST DAYS of my LIFE. I assume one day I will have to say the best day was my wedding day, but to be honest, January 10, 2011 will be hard to top.

3. I turned 27 this week and didn't cry. This is a big deal for me since I hate birthdays. I really do. Nothing about my life changed between Tuesday and Wednesday. I am mature enough to know that its not like I sprouted a gray hair because my age was different or suddenly I have to go to bed at 9 pm and never go out on the weekends....but it just sounds older. Of course 26 sounded old too and I got upset, but then 26 became one of my favorite years ever-- amazing friends, great church, awesome community, national championship. So I approached this birthday differently-- it could be a great year and if that means adding one year to my age, so be it. Plus I have some amazing friends that threw me a National Championship birthday party where we all wore orange and blue.

4. Quit reading my blog right now and go read "God and Football" by Chad Gibbs. The book is hilarious and convicting all at once. I felt like I wrote it. Even if you aren't a football fan (which if you aren't, shame on you), if you grew up in the South, you will understand this book.

5. I will be starting some of the blog topics this week, I hope....