a break in the fall

this past (long) weekend, the hubs and I took full advantage of the fact that he still gets "fall breaks." we headed to Pawley's Island for a few relaxing days to rejuvenate.

sun, sand, and beautiful sunrise/sunsets, one after the other. so much beauty. I can't help that every time I get near the ocean, scripture just flows through my mind...and I love that.

here are a few snaps of our quick trip. (sorry there are no humans in these pictures, we don't do well with the "selfies". hehe)

no fall leaves but still fabulously fall :)   ....have a wonderful week!

xoxo, Landrum

pumpkin goodness

I know everyone is on pumpkin overload right now. I get it. as much as I love pumpkin goodies myself, I agree sometimes its a little much.

but, hang with me for a second. I couldn't let Fall pass me by and not have made pumpkin muffins/bread. so I put a little twist on the normal pumpkin muffins.

I found a super duper easy recipe online that I changed up a little. the recipe uses all natural ingredients. very refreshing. most of the pumpkin muffin recipes I have used in the past call for the yellow cake mix (nothing wrong with that), but I just wanted to try something a little different.

what you need:

3 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 cups granulated sugar ( I actually used half granulated sugar and 1/2 brown sugar )

1 can (15 oz) of 100% pure pumpkin

4 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water (I fresh squeezed orange juice instead here but used same amount, 1/2 cup)

the prep:

go ahead and preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease muffin cups (I like to be old-fashioned and use butter like my mom always does :) ) plus, I think it adds to the flavor.

combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. then combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and OJ in another large bowl. stir/beat until blended. I then slowly added flour mixture gradually (because I mixed by hand) to the pumpkin mix. stir until the two separate bowls of ingredients are fully blended. then place mixture into muffin cups. (about 3/4 full)

bake in oven for 25-30 min. or until fork comes out clean when placed in center of muffin.

I even had enough extra batter to make a loaf of pumpkin bread! you could also do mini muffins/jumbo muffins/bread pan, etc. whatever you wish. the batter is just "lick the spoon" delicious. :)

I really think the natural ingredients (including the freshly squeezed OJ) made such a difference in taste. this batch was head and shoulders better than last years.

enjoy, friends!

xoxo, Landrum

it's okay...

it's ok....?

do y'all remember those pages in one of the magazines (can't remember the name of the mag) that would say "It's ok"....and have a list of things that people would usually be afraid to admit? I always thought those were so funny.

I decided to make a list of my own and hope you will add to this list. I have been feeling guilty (and a little silly) about some of these things lately and just decided that IT IS OK. hope some of you can relate. :)  P.S. some of these are a little embarrassing but I decided to expose myself anyway, haha.

so, it's ok...

to go skipping up the steps of one of the houses on the battery jiggling your keys pretending like you live there? (hey, a girl can dream right?)

to reproduce canned items to make them look like you're own homegrown creation? (but I did hear Rachael Ray say that sautéing certain canned veggies such as corn helps bring out natural sugars and flavors, so there. )

to scream into a pillow as loud as you can every once in a while

to live for The Voice on Monday and Tuesday nights

to get ridiculously crazy excited for every new changing season

to spend majority of your days off in 'work out' clothes but hardly ever working out?

to live at the beach but long to be in the mountains? (esp. in the Fall)


please add to the list! I know I'll be adding quite a few to this over time. It's fun and keeps life light :)

have a good one!

 

xoxo, Landrum

 

 

 

 

 

fall fancies

well, yesterday marked the first official day of fall. can't believe how fast summer flew by! here are some fall-y things I have been ogling over for the season. 

 

happy fall, y'all!

 

xoxo, Landrum

 

 

 



**all images via pinterest**

greek pizza (sister style)

my sis and I had some fabulous quality time this past weekend. it was just lovely.

and while we were there, we decided to try a little cooking. we found this recipe on pinterest and decided to give it a whirl.

...the end result was delicious! after staring in disbelief at what we created for the first 5 minutes after it was done... and 10 photos later (for proof, of course.) we finally devoured the thing.

p.s. the homemade tzatziki sauce was the bomb. ( we also added dill to the sauce, not in the recipe but added even more great taste)

what you need:

1 pound olive oil dough (or dough found in freezer section at grocery store)
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil,
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano,
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 fresh garlic cloves
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
roma tomatoes, seeds removed
medium diced cucumber,
diced avocado
feta cheese, crumbled

the prep:

the original recipe calls to make a homemade pizza dough (we got ours already made in the freezer section)

while the dough is warming in the oven, heat ½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. when the oil is hot, add in the chicken breast and season with ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook about 3-4 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown and fully cooked. Transfer the chicken from the pan to a cutting board and cut into bite size pieces.  to assemble the pizza, place the desired quantity of roma tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, feta cheese and chicken breast on the prepared crust. drizzle with homemade tzatziki and serve additional sauce on the side for dipping.

homemade tzatziki  sauce:

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2/3 cup shredded cucumber
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• couple pinches of fresh dill
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until combined. add additional lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste.


 see more and the original recipe at: http://www.pepperlynn.com/2012/01/fresh-greek-pizza-with-homemade-tzatziki/#sthash.hZAOjilt.dpuf

 

 

 

ta-da! deliciousness!

 

 

xoxo, Landrum

 

**pictures and recipe via Pepper Lynn blog**

peace

take a deep breathe... how many of you have experienced true peace? It is such a freeing thing. peace can be just a moment in time or a state of being. the latter is what I strive for.

I decided to leave you today with some quotes/scripture about peace...hoping it might bring you peace. I think we could all use a little more of this in our lives.

 

'for God is not a God of disorder but of peace.' 1 Corinthians 14:33

'let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.' Romans 14:19

'now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.'  2 Corinthians 3:17

 
peaceful day, friends!

xoxo, Landrum

* images via pinterest *

 

the proposal

I realize everyone does NOT care about how/why/when my husband proposed....but for those who love a good sappy love story...grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, curl up and keep reading :)

as our 3rd engagement anniversary is coming up in 2 days (I can't believe it!!) I thought it would be a good time to share the story with all of you.

this is how it went down:

the hubby and I had been dating for only 6 months when he asked me to be his wife. I know, I know, say what you will...but when you know, you know. simple. as. that.

It was a beautiful August day...(OK, I'll do my best to spare you some sappiness). it was my  husband's birthday week. we had been planning to go to dinner at High Cotton with his parents to have a birthday dinner celebration for him. so that Friday night, he comes to pick me up. I remember him looking extra handsome...but honestly had NO clue how my life was about to change. he was cool as a cucumber, thinking back. He didn't act funny, or nervous, or odd. just completely normal.

we hopped in the car and headed downtown Greenville towards High Cotton. remember, it was a Friday night so downtown was busy, busy and we had to park extremely far and out of the way (all part of the plan I later discovered). because we had to park so far away from the restaurant, it left us having to walk through the lovely Falls Park (also part of the plan :) ).
we got out of the car (Ro grabbed his blue blazer out of the back, which at the time I didn't think a thing of) and we started the trek to High Cotton. I hate this part...I have to admit it was a bit warm that night and I was relentlessly complaining and fussing at him about how I was going to be drenched in sweat and gross-looking by the time we arrived at dinner. (not my proudest moment) Clearly, I was clueless as to what was about happen or else I never would have acted like a total brat. annyywayss...moving on.

we are walking along...and he nonchalantly says: "Listen to this email I got earlier." He then proceeds to get out the email that he had printed off from the inside pocket of his blazer. (me: still NO idea at this point.) He then begins reading it out loud. It was an email from a lady named Hope Davis regarding "A Voice for the Children" charity. Hope had asked him to participate in a 'Bachelor Auction' in order to help raise money for the children. they pick certain guys and have the ladies auction off for them...He continued to tell me about it...me, thinking he was going to ask my permission to participate (as we were seriously dating at the time).

Instead, here is his response: (the part he read out loud to me) :


Knight, Roland

From: Knight, Roland

Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 7:46 AM

To: 'Hope D.'

Subject: RE: A Voice for The Children

Hey Hope,

This is very flattering. I am friends with Matt, Robert, and Dave and I know just how much fun they had last year. Thank you for considering me this year, but I'm sorry to say I must decline. Please let me explain. My birthday is on Sunday and I have picked out the greatest gift for myself. I have been dating a girl named Landrum, whom, I am very much in love with. I decided I cannot live without her. So I met her father last week at Bill and Fran's restaurant in Newberry to ask his blessing. She has no idea, but I'm going to ask her to be my wife on Friday night.

Please let me know who to make a donation to. I will send a check.

Thanks for keeping this confidential.

Ro



The actual email may or may not be framed (hehe) :) :) :)

after finishing reading the last part he then proceeded to get down on one knee...(this part was a little bit blurry through the tears) and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I am pretty sure I screamed YES! at this point, multiple bystanders had stopped to watch and then began clapping.

my feelings after he read those words was the perfect combination of being completely stunned and ecstatic!!! a feeling quite difficult to put into words.  the most wonderful feeling in the world. he really did the whole thing up right. like perfect. I couldn't have dreamt up anything better. ...he also had my brother-in-law in the bushes, parking garage, and all over the place capturing the moment with pictures!! (thanks again Reeves!)

then we actually headed up to dinner at High Cotton...and guess what else he did?!?! he had called my family and asked them to be there and meet us at dinner afterwards. best. dinner. ever.

and I really hate surprises...but best. surprise. ever.

lots and lots of joyful tears. pure BLISS.

...the rest is history :)

xoxo, Landrum