St. Anselm

"I long to understand in some degree thy truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe - that unless I believe, I should not understand."

[Photo by: Jill Ison ]

 {p.s. this photo is taken by Jill Ison, a photographer and fellow blogger from Arizona whose blog Free People I discovered one day in all my wedding blog searching and I love it! this may sound kind of creepy but I hope to meet her someday.}

StumbleUpon & Food Blogs...

... are not helpful creations on Saturdays when textbooks should be read and wedding decisions should be made, however I'm embracing a lack of productiveness and am off to make the Chocolate Fudge Pomegranate Cookies that I found on the wonderful food blog How Sweet It Is. She not only shares my love for chocolate, but is hilarious.

If you want the recipe here it is:

Chocolate Fudge Pomegranate Cookies

makes about 30 cookies

[photo by: How Sweet It Is]

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice (I didn't take the time to get this out of the arils and mine turned out fine)
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup pomegranate arils (these are the little seeds in pomegranates)

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, then pomegranate juice and mix until combined.
Fold in chocolate chips and arils. Refrigerate dough for 2-4 hours (or more). When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350, roll into balls and set on baking sheet.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely.

Be sure to check out some of her other recipes. I'm super excited to try her Apple Risotto With Toasted Pecans and I really want it to be someone's birthday so I can make the Cake Batter Pancakes.

[photo by: How Sweet It Is]

Wouldn't these be adorable for a birthday breakfast surprise?!?

Off to try to make some of the cute paper flowers I have in my head to have as my centerpieces...see I'm being semi-productive this afternoon (okay maybe not but I can pretend right?)

Good Eats

On a totally different note... I made this for dinner tonight and it was sooo good that I thought I would share it with all of you:

Lemony Pasta With Chicken and Spinach

4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

• 3  tablespoons  olive oil
• 3  skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves
• 3  thinly sliced medium red onions
• 1/2  cup  golden raisins
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  grated lemon rind
• 2  teaspoons  minced peeled fresh ginger (or 1 t ground ginger)
• 2  teaspoons  salt
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  balsamic vinegar
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 9  ounces  uncooked pasta
• 1  (6-ounce) package baby spinach
• Pine nuts, toasted (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until slightly browned on each side. Transfer with tongs to a cutting board. Cool; shred with hands into big chunks.

2. Combine onions, raisins, rind, ginger, and salt in a large skillet over medium heat; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar and pepper.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions. Stir in spinach, chicken, and pasta to onion mixture. Garnish with pine nuts, if desired.

I added green beans to the onion mixture and I'm sure it would be good with asparagus too. Also, I used orzo for my pasta and it made it kind of different. I didn't have pine nuts so I added some dry roasted almonds instead.

Enjoy!

Wedding Version 4.2

I feeling like I have planned my wedding over 4 times. All different ways. Now hopefully version 4.2 is the final version. I'm not exactly sure what is the cause for this excessive planning [long engagement? military? me looking at TOO many wedding blogs???] but this is it. The upside is that I could pretty much help anyone plan any type of wedding now! haha!

So here's what I've got now [the benefit of planning so many times is that it gets quicker every time]:

• Handsome Groom... Check!
• Date... JUNE 18, 2011
• Dress... Found it today!! (now I'm praying for the $ for it...donations anyone?)
• Venue... My soon to be family-in-law's (or rather "family-in-love's") backyard
• Guest List Goal... Under 80
• Invitations... Coming soon.
• Music... Yay for a musical sister and iTunes playlists
• Food... Working on it...have the wine though (always a good start)
• Decorations...Working on those too... been collecting jars and bottles for the last year
• Rings... designed and in progress
• Honeymoon... is a surprise from the Handsome Groom

Lots of details under all these that need to be taken care of but hey its a start! 

In the mean time... don't you love how these tables are decorated? I love the books and the simplicity!

Brett

Is there such thing as impossible love?

Two peoples love for each other became labeled as stable love because they could not be physically in love due to an injury from war.

But the woman loved many men, and moved on from one as quickly as she found him.
The men who became blinded by her were ruined by their lust. But not the injured man, for he could have no lust.

If love is defined mainly as lustful interactions, romanticism, and desire.. then their love is imposiible..

But if love is defined as deep personal connection and an attachment to each other.. then these two people were in love.

[By Sister]

A Twist in the Plot Line

I have 2 (maybe 3, I haven't decided yet) things to say.

Topic 1:

Technology and Balance

Sorry its been a while since I've written. You would think not having classes for the last 3 weeks would have meant more time to post, but alas it did not happen that way. You see, I spent so much time on a computer during school that once I was freed from my classes, I did not even open my computer once for 3 weeks...not the best idea for work and internship planning...
In light of the new year (2011 really now?) I am striving for balance and am attempting to only check and respond to emails once a day. I really need to learn that the world will revolve without me and that disappearing from the face of technology is an extreme that is just as unrealistic...thus the once a day thing. I've been going at it for a week now and its harder than I thought...send me motivating thoughts please?

This all being said, on to Topic 2:

The Adventure of Wedding Planning and the Military

{This is a enrapturing chapter in the story of a young princess and her handsome prince charming to whom she is betrothed... A new twist has been added to the story as the handsome prince was asked to leave the Royal Naval Training School due to a poor performance in philosophy (what does philosophy have to do this the Navy anyway? Is is just to give them something to think about while they sit on a ship for month at a time???) With the future of her handsome prince now uncertain, the young princess can do nothing but wait and hope that this means the day of their long awaited matrimony is sooner than originally planned...}

 ...to be continued.

Topic 3: What do you think of these?

[photo from: LoveSac]

They are these crazy sectional couch things ("lego couches" in my fiance's words)...