Be Nice to Yourself

Ellen Degeneres end each show by saying “be kind to one another.” We tell kids to “be nice” to their siblings and peers. But how often are we reminded to be nice to ourselves? 

I had a bit of a stressful day the other day. I was not being very nice to myself at all. My hubby calmed me down, thankfully. I am always so thankful for him. He is definitely the only person who can bring me back down when I’m up, and vice versa.

Anyway, I finished out that day with lots and lots of prayer and needing to hear from God. I truly believe that he speaks to us. Sometimes, something in particular sticks out of a message that we’re hearing. Sometimes a song gives you the words you need to hear. Sometimes, something just pops into your head completely out of the blue. I truly believe that all these things are God. All of these situations are God telling you what you need to hear. Now mind you, it’s not always what you want to hear. 

The next morning I woke up and immediately what I opened my eyes I heard “be nice to yourself.” I don’t quite know how to describe how I heard it. It wasn’t quite audible but it wasn’t quite completely in my head either. I know it was God. 

The thing is, I try to set these lofty goals for myself. To try to do this more or not do that as much. The thing I realized, is that those aren’t very tangible. However, anyone, including small children can understand “be nice.”

Why are we so quick to be kind to others and take care of others, but not to ourselves? I know I am.

Take this opportunity to set little reminders in your head. Make a trigger, of sorts, for yourself; just little check ups to make sure this is happening. This helped me so much and any amount of stress I encountered, I could deal with and work through by making sure that I was being nice to myself. So simple, but so effective and meaningful.  

What's your {Un}Word?

I’ve never been big on New Year’s resolutions, but I read a blog post today about an {un}word. This is a word that ideally, you would want to remove from your vocabulary. What is weighing you down? What is keeping you from having a closer relationship to God? To your spouse? To your family? How about with yourself? 

Mine is 

{un}worry

I have a tendency to let little things weigh me down with worry. I know these things will not matter the next day, week, month, or year but nonetheless, I worry about them. This causes stress within my mind and body (hmmm, wonder where that terrible sickness I had came from?) and spreads to the people around me. 

God’s word says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in any situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7. I wonder why I have so much trouble with this? 

The only remedy, as the verse above says, is prayer and investing time in learning what God has to say to you. God’s word has an answer for any question or problem, whether it is direct or indirect. Everything we need is in there. We essentially have an instruction manual for how to live life, so where is the need for worry? That is what I am trying to tell myself. 

I am going to try to achieve this goal through more prayer, both in quality and quantity. I will make it a habit to pray about the most simple things, like what my weekend plans should be. You can learn more about this beautiful process in Walking With God. Talk to Him. Hear from Him. Really. by John Eldredge. 

{Un}worrying will be a process. But it is one that I am willing to take head on. Today I will get done what I need to get done. Today I will be nice to myself. Today I will be the wife I need to be for my family. Today I will learn as much as possible for what I have coming soon. Today I will react appropriately to challenges and take care of business. Let’s do it friends!

What a Wonderful Friday It Is!!

Today is a great day! The birds are singing, the skies are… uhhh gray. But nonetheless today is going to be fabulous.

#1 My hubs comes home tomorrow for a long weekend!!! Hooray!!! Look how handsome he is… no seriously, look!

Oh be still my heart! 

#2 I am back at the gym! After knocking out my awful sickness and getting settled back in California, I have returned to my playground. However, because I haven't worked out in 2 weeks, I am sore! 

Hello old friend

#3 It's smoothie time! I have been addicted to smoothies, or smoodgies as they're called in our house, in the morning lately. Here is my recipe:

     1 banana

     a scoop of plain coconut yogurt

     a Tablespoon of coconut oil

     frozen berries

     a handful of greens (kale, spinach, etc.)

     a splash of almond or coconut milk

     -I am wanting to add chia seeds because they are such a great source of Omega-3's but I haven't gotten any at the store yet. 

#4 I have been trying oil pulling. It's kind of weird but I keep hearing so many benefits about it. I've only done it twice so I'm excited to see the results! Here is a great list of all the wonderful things coconut oil does! 

http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/50-of-the-best-uses-for-coconut-oil/

#5 I am going to make a few loaves of these little babies today. Hello PB&J's and grilled cheese sammiches! 

Look at those beauties! 

It's going to be a great day friends and an even better weekend! Embrace it and choose joy every moment.

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

John 10:10

XOXO Em.

A Silly Little Wedding Story

I’ve always loved “the dip” at weddings. I think it is super cute and romantic and makes for great pictures. So part of our preparation for our wedding, of course, was practicing the dip. And we just had to practice in the place best for practicing dancing: the kitchen! 

We practiced several times before the wedding, but never really said “okay we are definitely doing this.” 

Flash forward to wedding day. We were both so nervous right before we walked down the aisle, but once we got up there, we were locked in on each other. Nothing else mattered. 

I knew the ceremony was wrapping up. Towards the very end I looked up at my hubs and whispered/mouthed “Are you going to do it?” Because of course I had to put my hands and everything in the right spot to be able to pull it off. 

Now what my husband heard was “Do it!” I’m glad he did because he wasn’t going to do it! We heard “You may kiss the bride” and we pulled it off! It turned out that that dip created one of my favorite pictures of our whole wedding, so I’m pleased with our little miscommunication. 

XOXO Em.

Our Love Story

On my way home from our fabulous vacation this weekend, I had some time to reflect on how mine and my husband’s incredible marriage got started. I thought I’d share on here! 

In June of 2011 I had jaw surgery. I had a class 3 jaw, meaning that my jaw had grown too far forward and was misaligned. They broke my jaw in 2 places and rubber banded my mouth shut for 2 weeks.

A few days after my surgery, I was going absolutely stir crazy in my house so I went to my CrossFit gym just to hang out and watch everyone work out. I had no idea I’d meet my husband that day. 

I remember watching him workout and thinking he was pretty cute. He tried to come up and say hi to me, but I couldn’t physically talk! Later on, I found out he thought I was a bit of a snob. 

Fast forward to about 8 months later. My hubs was undergoing some pretty serious training in the military, which I saw was coming up via Facebook. I decided to send this super cute boy a message telling him good luck. 

We chatted for a while about CrossFit and then, towards the end of our talk, he invited me to come to Disneyland with him. Anyone who knows me knows I am a bit of a Disney fanatic so I was on board! 

We ended up leaving San Diego later than planned and the adventure began! About 10 minutes later, inside his little white truck, I knew I was going to marry this man. We spent the 2 hour drive getting lost, chatting, and singing country music.

We had the most wonderful weekend at Disneyland and ended up staying an extra night and driving home early Sunday morning. Truthfully I don’t know how we made it home; we were so tired. Since the second we’ve been together, it feels like we’ve been together 100 years. 

Since that Disneyland date we have traveled to Idaho twice, been on 2 more Disney trips, worked out and coached each other, gotten engaged, been to a Navy ball, planned a wedding almost all ourselves, gotten married, moved twice, been through one deployment and begun another, spent New Years Eve in New Orleans, made future plans, and have seen every day as time to cherish.

Every part of our lives together has been an adventure and we are constantly looking forward to each adventure to come because we have so much ahead of us! I’ll keep you posted! 

XOXO Em

Disney Magic!

Well the Walraths had a fabulous, magical Disney weekend! We moved from Gulfport, Mississippi back to San Diego for the next 6-7 months. I've been back at my parents house and the hubs has been at rock crusher school so I haven't seen him all week. I missed him! We met approximately halfway between San Diego and where he is at his school, which happened to be Disneyland, also the spot where we had our first date almost 2 years ago. We had a blast!! Here's some pictures of our adventure! 

Day 1 of our adventure!

We eat healthy… most of the time

The happiest place on Earth!

Packed lunch!

New Cars ride. Awesome!

End of day 1 at Trader Sam's.

Beginning of Day 2! 

A Disneyland staple. Mint Juleps! This was about 37 seconds before I knocked the whole thing over into my lap. Boo. Luckily my hubby shared his with me.

We happened to look down and see Nate's hometown!

About 5 seconds before we both had very wet jeans…

Waiting for World of Color.

What a wonderful weekend we had together! Can't wait for our next adventure!

XOXO E.S.W.

The Happiest Place on Earth!

This afternoon, I will be making a semi-spontaneous trip to the happiest place on Earth. That’s right folks. I’m going to Disneyland! 

In a little baby recap, I am back in my hometown of sunny San Diego for about 6 months during the hubs’ deployment. He will be nearby the whole time so I will be able to see him periodically (yay!). It was the best deployment situation that we could’ve ever asked for so we are soaking up this blessing along the way. 

Anywho, earlier this week we looked at our calendars and realized that we should probably go to Disneyland while we are in California because, well, why would that ever be a bad idea? Disneyland was our first date and we’ve been one time since but not for a while. So hotel room was booked, tickets were purchased and the day is finally here! 

Necessity is definitely the mother of invention and we always need to stay on budget. We decided to reserve a hotel room with a full kitchen. It was just slightly more expensive that a regular room but in the long run, it will save us having to eat out. 

I did all our meal prep yesterday. Here is what we will be snacking on during our trip! 

Friday night dinner: Turkey burger tacos (homemade tortilla recipe http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2012/06/soft-homemade-tortillas.html)

Saturday/Sunday lunch and snacks: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (homemade sandwich bread http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2010/03/25/homemade-sandwich-bread/), kettle chips, veggies and hummus, strawberries, apples, Lara bars, Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter 

Saturday night dinner: out

Sunday night dinner: Italian meatloaf (http://paleomg.com/italian-meatloaf/), Lemony pasta salad (http://www.forkknifeswoon.com/food-drink/side-dishes/2013/05/lemony-orzo-pasta-salad-with-cucumber-and-feta/)

Dessert: Lemon Pound Cake (http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/10/lemon-pound-cake.html)

Hmmm I seem to have a lemon thing going on right now. But all these recipes are delicious and super easy! And more importantly, super easy to prep before you go and they will last just fine on the counter or in the fridge. 

Ps... I am so darn proud of that sandwich bread. I have always struggled with baking things that need to rise. Truth be told, I tend to half-bake them while they are supposed to be rising, which is exactly what I did with my first batch but I think I nailed it the second time! It helps that the weather in San Diego is 85 degrees in January. Madness!

Pss... Check out my lovely friend Madi’s post today over at www.homegrownhostess.com This girl is my soul sister and when we got together for lunch the other day, we realized we both decided to go to Disneyland the same day! So we will be meeting up tomorrow, probably squealing at each other across Main Street. 

I'm choosing...

Life is full of choices. It seems like if you just pay attention, every second you are making a choice, and those choices dictate your mood and how your whole day goes. Furthermore, that dictates how your whole week can go. We only get 52 weeks of 2014 so each we have to make each one count. I am really trying to focus on enjoying every moment this year and trying to make the best out of each one.  

So I am Choosing:

God

Fun

Kisses and hugs

Cuddling with my hubby as much as possible.

Less worry

Laughter

Automatically looking for the best in people and situations instead of the worst

Long, drawn out lunches with lovely friends

More prayer

Being silly

Cups of tea and good books

Enjoying every single morsel of food

Dressing to feel my best

Being me

Joy. Always choose joy.

Happy Monday

Mondays get a bad rap. Like most, I tend to not want to get up and go back to work after a fabulous weekend with my husband. This Monday, I could be particularly bitter seeing as how I've been pretty darn sick all weekend and have only started to feel better as of a few hours ago. However, I choose to be thankful this Monday because I have so many things in my life to be grateful for! In a random, stream of consciousness kind of manner, here is what I'm thankful for this Monday.

1. My wonderful husband. He has taken such good care of me while I have been sick and I definitely wouldn't be feeling better if it wasn't for him.

2. Wonderful friends who spent their Saturday helping us move.

3. This time being sick has given me a chance to reflect and prepare for this upcoming adventure.

4. Being able to cook dinner for my husband and I in my beautiful kitchen.

5. I am so thankful for this time I've gotten to spend in this house. It has been a wonderful place for Nate and I to start our own, new life and it has been the most blessed time. I will miss this house so much!

6. I am so thankful that my family is so excited to see me and I can't wait to see them!

7. Tea. Cups and cups and cups of tea have me feeling much better and are just good for the soul.

That's all for now!

XOXO Em

Southern Key Lime Pie

Truthfully, I'm not sure what exactly makes this recipe southern, except for the fact that I'm in the south and I'm baking it. However, this is a favorite of mine and my husbands. It's super easy to boot! So easy in fact that I can sometimes justify making it… oh… about…. twice a week. Enjoy my friends! 

Crust ingredients:

40 Nilla Wafers

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup butter

Crust Instructions:

1. Put Nilla wafers in a gallon size Ziploc bag and smash those suckers into smithereens. Meanwhile, it is perfectly acceptable to munch on the rest of the box of Nilla wafers. No judgement! 

2. Combine Nilla wafers with the rest of the crust ingredients. When completely combined, the mixture should resemble wet sand, like so. 

3. Pour your crust ingredients into a pie pan and press it down along the bottom and the sides.

4. Bake your beautiful crust at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown. 

Filling Ingredients:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lime juice

1 tsp. vanilla

3 egg yolks

zest of 1 lime

Filling Instructions:

1. Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl. Be sure it is thoroughly combined but do not over mix. 

Look how pretty that lime zest looks in there! 

2. Pour your filling into the crust after it comes out of the oven and cools a little bit. 

3. Throw your whole pie in your 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

4. Let cool on the counter for 15 minutes then put it in the fridge until cooled all the way.

5. Cut yourself a slice and enjoy!! 

PS… We like to enjoy this with some whipped cream on top… or even better… combine heavy cream with softened cream cheese and sugar and whip away! 

XOXO Em

Welcome Friends!

Hi! My name is Em. I'm a twenty-something lover of God, food enthusiast, fitness nut, Navy wife, and 50's housewife wannabe from San Diego, CA. I love to laugh, learn, and create things for my home and my family.

After saying "I do" to my sweet husband on August 10, 2013, I packed up my bedroom in my parents house and bought a one-way ticket to Gulfport, Mississippi and wifehood.

My life has been one crazy and blessed ride and I can't wait to share more with you! Gather around and share some love at my table.