Seven

today we celebrate seven years of Dangy.  how did that happen so fast?  I still remember (and own!) what I wore on that first date.  I remember the first time we held hands, the first kiss, the first "I love you"... I remember watching him get down on one knee then meet me at the altar a year later and now here we are almost three years into marriage - ahhhhh!  where has all the time gone?  seems like yesterday we were just a couple of kids flirting back and forth... oh, who am I kidding - we still are.  thanks for seven amazing years, babe - can't wait to see what the next seven will hold. 

 

 

 

 

 

**apologies for the photo overload- seven years is a lot to cram into a blog post!  also, just wanted to note that not all these pictures are mine - they're a mix of friends, photographers and my images.**

I'm not good at juggling - blame it on scary clowns

Lately, life has felt completely out of control – there is so much to keep up with and not enough time to do it all.  Daniel suggested I focus on my top priorities, the things I just won’t budge on and forget about everything else.   So I did what I do best - I made a list:

- time with God (reading my Bible, praying Bible study(ies), seeking out Christian fellowship, Church, etc)

- spending time with Daniel, building our marriage and learning to be a good, Godly wife

- keeping in touch with family and friends

- making sure we eat well on a budget (real food that tastes good, is nutritionally dense, and loads us up on protein and fiber, but not calories, saturated fat or sugar)

- exercise

- investing time into photography/creative outlets

- keeping up with stuff around the house (cleaning, organizing, etc - even decorating, since we still sort of look like we just moved in, even though we've been here for over a year now!)

- enjoying each stage of life we're in for all it's worth

- rest (this one is more of a forced priority - if I don't make myself do it, I crash and burn)

But even just those feel like too much on my plate – one (or more) of them is always being sacrificed to accommodate the others, I just tend to juggle between which one gives.  I need to find balance, and don’t really know how – that’s what I thought when I quit at Starbucks.  I loved it, but something had to give and unfortunately, it came down to the part time job.  I remember thinking, I don't want to quit this - I just want a ten day week so I can keep doing what I love doing and stay on top of it all.  And now, it seems I’ve found my way to that same place again.  Does anybody else ever feel this way?  Or am I just a sissy?  How do you find focus and balance?  

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Lately, I've been trying to bake a batch of muffins each Sunday for breakfasts during the week.  It actually doesn't take up too much time and its really great to have wholesome, real muffins in the morning (rather than the uber sweet and oily "muffins" that most coffeeshops stock).  Also, I love that it's giving me a chance to work on my baking skills - a department in cooking that leaves me feeling particularly...inadequate.

So far, these Blueberry Banana Muffins are my fav.  I love that only two bowls and one spatula are dirtied in the process.  I love that it doesn't take much time to whip up (<-- I sound all fancy, whipping up things in my kitchen - don't let fancy-shmancy terms fool you, these really are easy!).  I love that most of the sweetness comes from the bananas.  I love that the way they made our place smell.  And, of course, I love munching on them.

we ate them all before i had a chance to actually get a picture of one - these are the parchment paper squares I baked them in - so easy to "make" and you don't waste any muffin on the wrapper **double bonus**

Blueberry Banana Muffins
(makes 12 muffins)

• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3ish)
• 1/2 cup soy milk 
• (I always use silk light - it is by far my favorite brand)
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries, unthawed 
• (if you have fresh, go ahead and use 'em - that was my original plan, but then I went and forgot them at the back of the fridge for a wee bit too long...)

- Preheat oven to 400°F. 

- Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. 

(or make your own out of parchment paper like I did)

- Combine flour, sugar, wheat germ, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; whisk to blend.

- Place mashed bananas in large bowl then stir in soy milk, egg, oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract. 

- Mix in dry ingredients, then blueberries. 

- Divide batter among muffin papers. 

- Bake muffins until tester inserted into center comes out clean & tops are just starting to brown, about 25 minutes. 

- Turn muffins out onto rack and cool 10 minutes. 

- Serve warm or at room temperature.

Now it's your turn - please give them a try ...and maybe make yourself a fancy paper hat so that you feel more legit as you bake!  (I may take my own advice and do that next time!)  

fallin' in love in Atlanta

I was planning on heading out for a nice long run today, but apparently the weather is having an indecisive day (rainy then cloudy then sunny then rainy again then sunny again) so rather than get caught out in the rain (I hate running  in wet/muddy/cold), I decided to post one last "installment" of pictures from Jacob & Jess' wedding (if you would like a recap - here is part one and part two).

    

 

        

...and they lived happily ever after!  

practice makes perfect

Sorry I've been missing in action lately - it's been a busy week.  But tonight was a bit more low key and I managed to carve out some time to share a few snapshots from J&J's wedding rehearsal.

I loved the cute entryway (left) and the huge windows in the chapel (right)

the aisle was gorgeous on the actual wedding day - the pew ends had these lovely vintage branch-ey bouquets on them 

the rehearsal bouquet - made of ribbons etc. from shower gifts

We weren't allowed pictures in the church, but I snapped these before I found out (oops).  The rehearsal dinner was at the Wildfire Restaurant and was a-maz-ing!  So amazing, in fact, that I put my camera away and focused on enjoying the food and company (sorry!).  If you're ever kicking around Atlanta, I highly recommend stopping in for a nice dinner.  

today is special...

...because its my father-in-law's birthday.

at our wedding - photo by James Moes

happy birthday!

we love you and wish we could celebrate together in person.

have an awesome day

love, dangy

Saturday mornings are the best...

I love waking up early on Saturdays - going for a run, making a fancy breakfast, having time to do both of those things ..heaven!  (most days I have to choose one or the other...or neither)

Being out and about early on a Saturday is probably one of my favorite things to do - in fact, back in the day when I worked at Starbucks, I L-O-V-E-D, loved, LOVED the Saturday morning open.  (just in case you weren't clear on how I felt about it!)  Call me crazy, but driving to work with no one on the roads, getting to grind all that coffee (love that smell), serving drinks and pastries to fellow morning people (because most people who go for coffee on a Saturday morning are there because they want to be there, not because they have to be somewhere), watching the sun rise and the neighborhood come to life - ah, I couldn't have been happier.

And even now that I'm not workin' for Harold anymore, I still get up early on Saturdays - not 4:30, like I did for those opens, but a good solid 6 am.  Which I suppose isn't terribly early, but its still early enough to be part of that "crazy morning people" club.  Sometimes, when I really want to treat myself, I drive down to Crescent Beach for a Saturday morning run - not only is possibly my favorite place in the world, but on Saturday mornings it is full of morning people who like to run - its like a secret club of people just like me!  (and here I was thinking I was an oddball - you just gotta look in the right places!)

I could ramble on forever, but I'll stop there - but before I take off , I wanted to share the breakfast I made up last Saturday morning, just in case you too love being up early on a Saturday and are looking to make a fancier-than-the-typical-weekday breakfast.

Curry and Garlic Frittata

a touch of extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup (ish) onion, chopped 

1/8 tsp medium curry powder

1 clove garlic, diced

1/4 (ish) red bell pepper, chopped

1 [double yolked, farm fresh] egg

paprika, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste

freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

feta cheese, to taste (optional)

- Heat olive oil in frying pan or skillet* on medium-high (I literally used a couple of drops, but my pan was non-stick, so you may need to use more if you're using cast iron, stainless steel, etc)

- Add onions and curry powder, stirring occasionally for a few minutes (until the onions start to get a bit softer)

- Add garlic and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a minute(ish) then add the bell pepper and for another minute or so.

(I like my pepper to retain its structure, so I add it in pretty late - if you like it more mushy, you may want to add it in with the onions!)

- Add the egg, mixing everything together, then spread egg mixture evenly in the pan. 

- Sprinkle paprika, cayenne and black pepper over mixture.

- Cover and continue to cook to desired doneness, flipping if necessary (I am kind of crazy and like my egg browned, so I definitely flip - that would also be where I sprinkle a touch of feta, so it can get a little melty while the flipped half browns)

*you may want to go with a small frying pan or skillet, so your egg doesn't end up super skinny and difficult to eat!

Happy Saturday Mornings!

simple pleasures...

A couple mornings ago I saw this fellow chillin' on a branch just outside my office building.  He made me think that maybe -just maybe, the worst of winter is behind us.  A small victory, yes, but it was enough to make me smile.

While we're on the topic of little things worth celebrating, I wanted to share this salad I threw together for dinner last night - super easy and super yummy.  The walnuts add an interesting depth of flavor that I really enjoyed.  I imagine leftovers would taste great in a wrap for a vegan/vegetarian lunch option - I'll have to try that next time.

Quick Spinach and Chickpea Salad

{serves 2}

a couple handfuls of baby spinach

1/4c chopped red onion

1 c chickpeas

juice of 1/2 a lemon (probably about 1 tbsp)

a handfuls or two of walnuts, roughly chopped

lemon pepper, to taste

- preheat oven to 350*F

- toast walnuts for about 10 mins or until deeply golden & aromatic

- chop onion + rinse and drain chickpeas (if using canned) while walnuts are toasting

- once walnuts are ready, combine spinach, onion, chickpeas, lemon juice and walnuts then add lemon pepper to taste*

*alternatively, blend chickpeas with walnuts, lemon juice and perhaps some water to thin it out a bit then use as a dressing

Enjoy!