I'm strong to the finich, cause I eats me spinach.

Ready to be placed into the oven!

 Easy Spinach Dip

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
3 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 Tablespoons fresh shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2.  Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat.  Cook and stir spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes then add garlic, cook and stir for another minute then turn heat off.
3.  Place cream cheese, sour cream, cooked spinach and garlic, parmesan cheese, garlic salt, chipotle chile pepper, salt and pepper into a medium bowl.  Mix until well combined and spread into a small casserole dish (I put my dip into mini-breadbowls.). Top evenly with shredded cheese and bake for 20 minutes until just turning brown on edges.  Remove and let cool for 3-5 minutes before removing from oven.


Oh and the title is from Popeye ;)

new beginnings

Once again a new beginning,

                                                Yesterday I've put behind,

To You Lord I come in seeking,

For Your Words, bring them to mind.

Alas, I am back to posting. Wedding planning has consumed my mind for the past few weeks. We only have a little left to accomplish in terms of planning and it is an AMAZING feeling. Dreams of eloping on a sandy white beach with a flower in my hair or in Las Vegas with slots machines ringing in the background were starting to pop into my head every so often ;) Ninety-nine days remain until I enter the covenant of holy matrimony with my beloved. My fiancé has recently started training at a much better job, but this leaves us with less time to see each other. He decided to take this job to be able to provide for us to the best of his ability once we are wed so I try my absolute hardest not to complain. I try to remind myself that I will be able to see him lots and lots once we are married {God-willing}.


The semester recently started and my classes are quite varied in nature. I am thoroughly enjoying my anthropology class and a literature course that is supposed to be American but for the next few weeks we're going over past happenings in Britain {we're currently discussing Henry the 8th-he's so interesting to me}. The hustle and bustle of my university is something that I did not miss one bit. I am assuredly convinced that very few people like climbing up 5 flights of stairs as a way to start their day. 


I am doing lots of studying at home through my own course I would like to call Marriage Literature 101. I already know how to cook and clean so for now I am just reading a few books and trying to glean as much wisdom as I can from them. I have recently read Becoming the Woman of His Dreams: Seven Qualities Every Man Longs For, Queen of the Home and The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands. I am highly anticipating marriage if you cannot tell. :) 

Visit here for a giveaway http://www.thestraightenedpath.com/2011/12/special-announcement-with-giveaway.html

Engagement

December 4, 2011
How He Did It
My {now} fiancé told me his mom wanted to interrogate me about our desire to get married. Okay, not those exact words but that's how I interpreted what he said and I was EXTREMELY nervous. I was like a contestant in a pageant going to the Q&A portion, silently repeating things in my head so my words would reflect exactly how I felt to his mother . He drove around and around and I started to get a little angry. His house was the opposite direction of where he was bringing me. I began asking him where he was taking me and if we were meeting her somewhere. He replied, "Just trust me." So in my mind I figured we were going to meet her somewhere other than their home. We ended up at the place where I first saw him and went on my first ever date with him. The grounds of our local state fair. We talked for a few minutes about marriage and he got down on bended knee and pulled out the ring, which was one of my top choices. He then asked me to marry him. Only I didn't say yes. I said "OF COURSE!"

the fairgrounds during the state fair

• I am still over the moon with elation and love saying fiancé. It just rolls off of your tongue! Try it sometime. :) Engagement photographs are coming soon. We announced it to our church this past Sunday and got prayed over with such beautiful words and blessings. My Lord arranges the most beautiful things but in His precious timing. Thank you for all of your blessings Lord. I cannot thank you enough.

give thanks

My attempts to cook my own full course Thanksgiving were in vain because we ended up at my Mawmaw's (grandmother in La.) house. I bought the ingredients and made the desserts that I wanted and brought them with me as my contribution. I made brown sugar pecan mini-cupcakes with homemade caramel icing, which is a mouthful in more ways then one ;) I also made a pumpkin streusel cake. We spent most of the afternoon with my family then followed up by visiting his grandparent's home that evening. We talked for a few hours about all things under the sun and I definitely feel I know them on a personal level now. We went to my house after his mom joined us at his grandparents and they busted out the family photo's {again}. It's so funny to me but so embarrassing to him.  Here's a snapshot of me and my guy in the afternoon on Thanksgiving.

We made it to my home to watch a movie and wrap up the night when my {4 years younger} uncle and sister convinced us to take them Black Friday shopping because they desperately want to spend time with us {because we have cars}. So we all took a 2 hour power nap then hopped in my freezing cold car to visit Walmart {packed}, Target {packed}, and Old Navy. We walked around Walmart but didn't make a purchase. Target had lines as far as my eye could see. Old Navy had a short line that actually ended up taking 30 minutes to enter the store. We got in and went wild then the checkout line too 2.5 hours. We made it home at 4 AM utterly exhausted. This was my first and *yells* LAST! Black Friday experience. I need my sleep so I'll stick to Cyber Monday unless I realllly, really, need something. How was y'alls Thanksgiving and Black Friday experience?