Obsessed.

I am completely obsessed with this smoothie.

Some of you have maybe seen it going around on Pinterest and maybe you've tried it before and can testify! It is daaang good. I've had it the past four morning for breakfast and not only is it scrumptious and super healthy, but it also keeps me full!!

Don't be afraid of the spinach. Just try. C'mon, you know you want to! 

P.S. I reccomend using frozen pineapple and mango. Yum yum!!

P.P.S You may have noticed I've taken a break from blogging. Life has just been so busy for me lately and when it comes down to it, I found I'd rather read Hunger Games then update my blog so I let myself do that for awhile but now it's time to get back into the hang of things!  

Through the eyes of a 3 year old

This is my sweet Cambrya. I spend most of my days with her having great adventures and doing life together. A couple weeks ago we had her sleep over at our apartment and had the best time! She really loved playing with my camera so I thought I'd share a few of her "pieces" with you.

Posing to help her find me.

My oh my, there were more pictures of Jason than I think anything else. She has a bit of a crush on him. ;) As you can see, she struggled a bit with keeping her fingers out of the way but for three years old I think she's doing pretty well! 

She caught me between her fingers. 

There were also quite a few of Bailey. The last one isn't half bad, now only if Bailster didn't look like an alien...

This last one is my favorite. She had to get on her tippy toes to catch her reflection in our bathroom mirror. 

I love looking at these pictures and trying to figure out how her little mind works. Who knows, maybe someday she'll end up being a photographer! 

Today my sweet little sister turns 21! I can hardly believe she's old enough! I feel like I just turned 21, although in reality I'll be turning 27 way too soon. Anyways, back to Kristi! She recently moved to Virginia to pursue her college degree at Liberty University. I am so proud of her for taking such a big step in obedience to God. I know that while it may not have been the easiest thing to move so far away, I know that God has blessed her for going. She is having the most amazing time and has met some really great people!

As an older sister I feel like Kristi is one of my greatest accomplishments. ;) Just kidding! She is wise beyond her years, loves to learn and is passionate about things that are important to her. I'm jealous about her ability to articulate her point when discussing issues. 

She also has fabulous taste in music, makes me proud when it comes to talking about sports and she loves to have fun! I always have the best time with her laughing and talking about the most random things! :) 

One of the things that makes Kristi, Kristi is her passion for Truth. Her beliefs are firmly rooted in God's word and it's something you'll know right away when you meet her. I have seen her grow, even in the past year to love God more and seek to obey Him with her life. It makes me so proud to see her make good decision and it encourages me in my own walk with God. 

Kristi, you are a blessing to our family and lives. We are so glad that God gave you to us! We love you. We miss you...can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! 

Things that we've learned the past week..

What a week!! Seriously. I don't think anything went the way we thought it would and I'm pretty sure we experienced a level of stress that was new to both of us. Short story is that last Wednesday on his way to work Jason was rear ended. I was so terrified when he called me, but he was ok. Our Focus (aka Beast) not so much, but my sweet husband is what's irreplacable. We figured things out for the rest of the week; rented a car for a couple days and worked on getting the police report. We had planned on going up to Door County to visit my family amd decided to still go. We had the best time! On the way home though, driving seperately because my brother had borrow us his car to use while we car shop, I was rear ended in our other car. Are you kidding me? What a week! We're starting to figure things out with both car situations and now that things are starting to calm down a little I think I'm ready to talk about it. And to go over...some of the things we've learned this past week:

1. When Jason's in trouble I won't neccessarily just feel it. Apparently I've been watching too many romantic movies or reading sappy books because I had come to the conclusion that if Jason was ever in trouble I would somehow just know! I have the strongest, deepest connection with him...more than anyone on this earth and so I assumed that somehow I would be able to just sense him being in apaprent danger. A sixth sense of some kind maybe. Well, it's not true. And my husband thinks I'm just a bit crazy for even thinking this.

2. If you ever get rear ended, hope and pray that the person who hit you has progressive. Yesterday the insurance agents who represent the people who hit me (did I mention they were some of the nicest Swedes and had moved to Chicago about a year ago? I got to teach them the word "dent." Sweet.) called me to discuss things and set up getting our car fixed, getting a rental, etc. They were so concerned about my health (Just a sore neck, really) and Bailey's health since she was in the car with me. It was so nice to be treated like the victims we really are! ;) They took care of everything for us including offering us a settlement for the "inconvenience of the accident." I didn't know this even existed but now I wouldn't mind being inconvienenced more often! It feels so good to have one car situation totally taken care of. Now, onto the next!

3. God's always at work even when it may not look like it. One car accident was frustrating enough, but two in less than a week? I'll be honest, I'm still figuring out what God could be doing in this situation; it isn't exactly crystal clear. I think though that just learning to trust that God is still working even in a crazy situation has been so challenging to me.

 Hosea 6:3 says "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; His going out is as sure as the dawn; He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rain waters the earth." I have never once woken up in the morning and even thought or considered the idea that the sun wouldn't rise. Maybe that's because when I get myself out of bed and on with my day, the dawn is already breaking. How true is that with our lives? It may seem like the trial or stressful situation has just begun but truly, God's been working in our lives long before we even faced that difficulty. Just because it's new to us does not mean that God has not gone out long before us.

As I'm writing this the skies have opened up and it has begun to rain. It may not be a spring rain like the verse indicates, but rain is rain and I feel so reminded that God is going out and He IS active in my life and my circumstances!

Thankful for God's protection over my family, His provision and the knowledge that He is at work. Feeling blessed in the midst of everything..

Happy Anniversary tooooo us!! 

Today is the second anniversary of our marriage. :) 

We keep saying to each other, "can you believe it's already been two years??" but at the same time, so much has happened. We've been through good and bad, but thankfully I can say it's been by far good. 

They say that the first year is the hardest and I think that we'd agree. It wasn't overwhelmingly difficult and I think we made it as gracefully as possible. The first year for us was all about figuring out who each other was on a deeper level. What each other really thinks and believes, traditions from how they grew up and negative and positive things from their upbringings. For us, the first year was all about shaking off things that were familiar to us and maybe even what we preferred in order to pursue what was better for us. 

It's scary giving up what you've always known as normal or the way you've always thought. But the idea of creating something new with someone else is so beautiful that you're willing to fight through the fear. 

Because we were able to establish a firm and united foundation in our marriage during our first year, our second year was spent growing and building on that foundation. It's fun to look back and see how much we've grown even in just this short amount of time. I've learned so much more how to love and respect Jason. I recognize that there are so many things that are just not worth fighting over (and that's a big one in the marriage of two very stubborn people! ;) ). Jason has loved me more and deeper then ever before. And we have grown. Our marriage is truly blessed!

To celebrate my sweet husband surprised me with  a surprise overnight getaway, a brand new dress and a delicious dinner! It was perfect and he thought of everything, even down to a snack size bag of flamin' hots for me to munch on because we had a late dinner reservation. My man knows me! :) Tonight we had dinner at home together, got some ice cream and watched the video of our wedding. It still makes me cry and crack up...it was the best day!! 

I want to end with a quote my mom wrote in our anniversary card. I feel like it sums up our view on marriage and just how much of a blessing it is:

"The ultimate thing to see in the Bible about Marriage is that it exists for God's glory. Most foundationally, it is the doing of God, most ultimately, marriage is the display of God. It is designed by God to display His glory like no other event or institution does." 

~John Piper

Memories

Some of you may have noticed that I've taken a bit of a break from writing. Summer started to get busy and my blog slipped down my priority list. And then my grandpa passed away and I just didn't know how to talk about it. I thought about updating on here but how could I have a major event happen in my life and not even mention it? 

So I took some time away. But now I think that I'm ready. Or, getting ready and I think talking about things on here will help.   

My grandpa, Harvey Clark, passed away in May due to complications from Muscular Sclerosis. He dealt with MS for over thirty years and was wheelchair bound by the time I was born. Although he may have been physically handicapped, what he dealt with on a daily basis did not affect his spirit and what he knew was his purpose in life. He was a Baptist preacher for years but it was the way he lived each day that to me, sent the strongest message.

He had every reason to complain, but he didn't.
He had every reason to doubt, but he didn't.
He had every reason to be bitter and angry, but he wasn't.

He was the most joyful and genuinely thankful person I knew. He took advantage of every situation to represent the Christ that he knew so personally. Grandpa was always pulling out his Bible to do a study; always pausing to spend just a few more minutes in prayer. He shared his faith with everyone he came in contact with.

I remember when I was little grabbing a stack of my story books, my picture Bible and notebook to sit at the dining room table with Grandpa as he did devotions. As I got older, I put away the picture books and would bring studies I was really doing or share with him what I had learned at school. One time in specific he asked me about Spiritual Gifts. He told me what he knew and what he didn't understand and then he wanted to hear what I thought. I remember thinking "this is crazy! He's been a preacher for longer then I've been alive, and he wants to know what I think??" 1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." Grandpa made that verse come alive to me when he showed me that my thoughts and opinions mattered greatly to him.

I could go on and on about the things that I've learned from his life or since his passing, so I think I'll just write about the ones that stand out to me the most. I think the biggest lesson I learned is that we cannot judge God's decisions and plans for our lives by our own measuring stick. I can't even count how many times I've heard someone say (concerning my Grandpa or someone else), "if they just had enough faith then maybe they would be healed" OR "if you just prayed a little more or fasted a little more, then maybe he'd be healed." I completely believe in the power of prayer and the importance of having faith but I believe it's more important to trust God and His path for your life. I could have prayed for hours and hours (and believe me, I did) for my Grandpa and he could never be healed or I could have tossed up a quick prayer in passing and he may have been able to walk again. I don't get to decide what God's will for is my life or my loved one's lives. And I don't get to decide if a prayer is answered or not.

We can now say that it was not God's plan for my Grandpa's life to be physically healed. He would always be confined to a wheelchair. But to face such a deteriating and debilitating disease with such joy and purpose....you can't tell me that my Grandpa wasn't healed in his own way! I don't get to pick the ending to the story, but I can trust that it is a good one and that God has had our best interest in mind.

The other thing that stands out to me is just the love that you can have for someone. I've watched my Grandma literally lay down her life for her husband as he physically got worse and worse. I think that when you say your wedding vows and you promise you'll be with someone "for richer and poorer and in sickness and in health" it's easy because odds are you and your partner are in good health with no imposing threat. But what happens when the unexpected arises and your vows are put to the test? My example has been that you don't walk away. And your love doesn't change. I'm not saying it's easy; I can't imagine what my Grandma has been through, but I do know that it's possible.


My grandpa leaves behind a family that loves Jesus. He leaves many lives that were changed for the good because he was in them. I feel so proud to call Harvey Clark my Grandpa and hope to live my life in the same way he lived his.

Dinner at the Whittingtons.

I know that a lot of women plan meals for weeks or even months in advance. Well, I'm not one of those women but I do plan for one week at a time (you gotta start somewhere, right?). I like to divide our meals up as either big or small meals. I'm not serving more or less foods different nights, I divide them up by how much time they take to make. Maybe it would make more sense to call them long or short meals but I feel weird calling it them short meals...ANYWAYS.....I call them big or small and that's that. :) I try to do at least 2-3 bigger meals and then smaller ones on the night we have something right after work and just need something to grab and go. 


This is my plan for this week:


Monday: I don't work on Mondays so I've affectionately named them my wife days, since all  have to do are tasks that revolve around me taking care of my husband and home. Since I'm home all day I definitely do a big meal. Jason's been reminding me for about a month about "that one time I made stuffed shells" and so I'm giving in and making them again. Since these are already high in fat and calories, I served them with organic greens and spinach lightly tossed in red wine vinegar to bring something healthy to the meal. 


Tuesday: We don't have plans this Tuesday so I'll have time to do a bigger meal. I'm planning on making chicken picatta which I'm really  good at ordering in a restaurant but have never actually made! I'm really excited to try it. I'll be serving this with a salad again and some fresh fruit.


Wednesday: I cook dinner on Wednesdays for the family I nanny for and I usually bring some of it home with me for Jason and I to eat. We also have dog training right after work so it's a quick night anyways. 


Thursday: We have a young adult thing at Church that night but I'm still going to try and whip something up before we go. These Carne Asadas  look insane and I cannot wait to try this recipe out! 


Friday: I work late some Fridays so these are the nights we tend to grab fast food or put in a pizza. Not always the healthiest, but it's ok to do every once in a while! :)


How bout you, readers? What are some of the recipes you've made lately or are planning on making? 

I haven't posted a recipe in awhile and I thought it was about time!

For the record, I really really like muffins. Problem is they aren't generally very good for you. Jason and I are both fans of my baking so when I make something for us I want it to be at least somewhat nutritious. 

Enter: deliciousness. I found this recipe last week and tried it out and it was SO yummy and semi-healthy!

Health Nut Blueberry Muffins (from www.allrecipes.com)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup oat bran
• 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan, or line with paper muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, oat bran, quick-cooking oats, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently stir in the blueberries and walnuts. In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed banana, buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix just until blended. Spoon into muffin cups, filling all the way to the top.
3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly touched.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 196 | Total Fat: 5.8g | Cholesterol: 18mg

The only things that I changed was I took out the nuts, used wheat bran instead of oat (Because it's what I had on hand) and "made" my own buttermilk by putting 1 T. of lemon juice in my one cup measurer and filling the rest with skim milk. There's a good chance my changes even made it healthier and I honestly wouldn't even go back to the original recipe...it was that good! I can't wait to try these again and maybe make them with raspberries or cherries! Enjoy. 

Dear mom,


Today is your day and I want you to feel celebrated and honored! You have played one of the biggest roles in shaping my life and I can honestly say that many of the good things in my life are the fruit of what you taught me. 

One of the first things I remember you teaching me is to memorize Scripture. The first verse I think I ever memorized was "When I am afraid I will trust in Thee" and you taught it to me so that I could say it when I was afraid during the night. I still remember the passages you taught me and they come to my mind in different situations. The fruit of memorizing Scripture is still being born in my life!

 You taught us how to love each other. Even when we were busy stealing each other's clothes, tattling and hitting, you taught us to love. This love has bonded us together so that even though we are in different cities, my brother and sisters are my very dearest friends and I can't imagine my life without them. 

You taught us the importance of having fun! You showed us how there can be joy in the small things and that there's always time to stop and have a good laugh. Cleaning the dishes was always way more fun when we cranked up the music and danced while we did! There was never a dull moment growing up. :)

You've prayed for us more times then we'll ever know. You support us in all of our decisions. You are always there when we need you and you're even figuring out how to switch between two phone calls when two of us need you at the same time! We can tell you anything and we know that you will always be there for us. You are our best friend! 

You've shown us how to love a man. And not just say I love you but to run his business. And to wake up every morning and pack his lunch. And make him red meat when everyone else is having chicken. And buying him the right ketchup. And how to adore your man. So when it comes down to loving my man, I know how to do it right because I had an incredible example. 

We love you mom...Happy Mothers day! 

Annie brings up the rear in the Johnson family eight month birthday streak! She's last but certainly not least! 

Annie is smack in the middle of us five girls. She is opinionated, outspoken and very funny! She is thoughtful and has a very compassionate heart. This year she saved all of her tip money from her summer jobs and donated them all to buy poverty stricken families food and basic supplies. I was so proud that she would put others before herself! 

She's always up for something fun and you know you're going to have a good time when she's going. She's the kind of friend that you want to have; loyal and devoted. 

She is very fashionable and my go to person for hair and make-up advice! I'm so glad that now that she's getting older we can share some of our clothes. ;) haha love you Annie!

This year I've seen how she has really matured and grown up. She is a very genuine woman and doesn't hide who she really is. If you've spent any time talking to her you know that she is passionate about her faith and following and obeying God is her number one priority. I'm very proud of her and that she is my sister! 

Melody becomes a teenager!

It's official people: Melody is a teenager! 


Mel has a special place in our family...she is the youngest! One might think that she may have a difficult time having her voice heard, but I assure you she has never had a problem voicing her thoughts. :) Although she may be younger, Mel is always a part of the group. 

Melody is one of the sweetest and most kind people that I know. She is the kind of person that will jump at the chance to help someone out and that you can really depend on. She has a mischievous smile and is beautiful inside and out! She's super fun to be with and likes to play games (she kicks Jason's butt at speed almost every time!). 

She has really grown up the past year and progressed in many things. She's doing well in school and has started to play the violin and is doing super well with that. She is growing more in her faith and you can see the love of Jesus shining so brightly through her! I'm so proud of her and the young lady she is and our family is very blessed because she's in it. 

Birthday #1

About a month and a half ago my big brother had a birthday! Now, I know he doesn't read my blog and there's a good chance he might not even know what a blog is but he's a fantastic big brother so he still deserves his own post! 

Matthew is probably one of the most adored brothers in existence. It takes a special man to deal with five younger sisters but he has always handled it like a pro. He may be soft spoken, but when he speaks up we listen and we all look up to him. 

 Missing one....but that happens sometimes! 

Something that I've loved to watch is Jason's relationship with my brother. Not only am I glad that the get along (it would be kind of awkward if they didn't!) but I'm glad that they have a genuine friendship. Matthew deserves to finally have a brother! 

 Probably the thing I love most about my brother is how kind and giving he is. He, like my dad, is the kind of person that will drop everything to help someone out. It's a rare characteristic to find in a person but he has it through and through. 

Matthew, I love you and I'm sorry this is soo late! Thank you for all you do for us; we are so grateful for you and how you have blessed us! 

Attn: I am officially three birthdays behind in my birthday blog posts. 

But this is the first week that I don't have something every night soo...

They're on their way!!

Our newest addition!

For a couple of weeks I've had puppy fever. 

Jason told me that there was no way we were getting a new one. But I kept "casually" suggesting the idea to him. Last Sunday some of our friends and us decided to go up to the Wisconsin Humane Society...just to look. 

We ended up seeing the sweetest black lab/shepherd mix 9 week old puppy. And Jason and I just fell in love with her!

Introducing....Penny Lane: 

She is a spunky, energetic little bugger! We are having so much fun playing with her and training her. She started puppy classes this week and I think they're going to help us out a lot. We're so excited to have our family grow a little bigger!

Provision.

One of the most exciting new things in our lives is Jason's new job. He has only been graduated for almost two months but he knew that as soon as he graduated he would go full force into job search mode. He was very diligent about updating his resume and searching and applying for jobs. 

He found a particular job that he was very interested in and of course applied and we were SO happy when we heard back from them and they wanted to interview! The interview went extremely well and he ended up getting the job!! It's a Marketing Assistant job up here in Milwaukee and we could not be more excited about it. He is going to have the opportunity to learn all different aspects of the marketing business and get a lot of one on one training. It really is the perfect entry level job. He will also be making more money which is definitely a blessing to our family. 

We are just so incredibly grateful because we 100% know that this job is a blessing from God. He has continually opened doors for our family and provided for us in every aspect of our lives. There has never been a need that He has not met for us. I am so excited for my man as he starts his new job and I know that he is going to do SO great! 

Whoops..

I've been kindly reminded that I have been ignoring my blog once again. Things have been so busy for Jason and I...a lot of change and all of it good! So this next week I'm going to catch up on all that's been going on with us. 

But let's just start with something fun! Last night Jason and I went to his cousin's wedding and had a blast! It's always fun to get dressed up and hang out with my sweet man. The wedding was beautiful and such a testimony to God and His goodness and faithfulness. We had such a fun time with Jason's family and dancing together. My husband is so much fun!!

One of my favorite things about Jason is that he is passionate about learning and making yourself a better person. He is always telling me new things that he's reading about, listening to sermons and the way that he lives really encourages me to keep learning and challenge myself. I've been doing a Bible study lately by Beth Moore called Stepping Up: A journey through the Psalms of Ascent. I'm a big Beth fan and her studies always challenge me so much; this one being no exception. In one of the lessons this week she was telling a story about an experience she had with her husband in Angola. They had come to do relief work and spent much of their time feeding malnourished locals. While there they learned that many of the areas they worked in would receive seed as an effort to help the community but instead of planting it, they would eat it. It would temporarily fill and satisfy them but in a day or two they would be hungry again. Learning this turned on a light bulb in Beth's head and answered some of the questions she often asked God such as "why do some people see the results of the Word and others don't? Why do some study the Word of God yet remain in captivity? Some just eat the seed and never sow it for a harvest."  

This struck a chord in me! Jason always picks on me because he says I swing to extremes; I'm not someone who muddles around in the middle.

If I like something, I love it.

If I'm running, I'm sprinting.

I like to be go, go, go. Finish something and then move onto the next.

So when I read the passage above I was instantly convicted on how I am when I learn things, specifically spiritual lessons.  I could hear the most profound teaching and learn things that are groundbreaking and sit on the lessons for oh..maybe a day or two and then it's on to the next bigger and better lesson. This made me think about how sometimes in life I've felt like I was learning the same things over and over again. Maybe because I never fully learned my lesson and so God brought me back to it again. I don't want to just eat the seed that's been given to me and have it fill me up for a short time, I want to plant it and see what happens when it grows.

I've started to apply this principle in my life almost immediately. Last week at Church our pastor talked about casting your cares on Jesus which is powerful, but definitely not a new idea to me. It challenged me though so I prayed about it and talked to Jason later that night about how we can be better about giving God our cares and worries and we prayed together. I thought about it the next day again, but by the day after that it was already starting to fade a little. But after I read my devotions and what Beth said, I immediately thought about what it would mean if I didn't eat the "seed" of casting my cares on Christ and instead planted it in my life. What would it look like if I watered that seed and tended to it? What would happen if every time I found myself worried or stressed I went to God with my concerns instead of trying to fix things by myself? I think that very soon there would be a worn path between me and my Heavenly Father! I think that I would learn to give things up to Him quicker instead of trying to fix things on my own and messing it up more. I think that I would have a lot less stress and a lot more peace in my life.

I want to challenge each of you to think about what God is teaching you and to really sit on it for awhile. Plant whatever seed He has given to you in your life and watch what happens to it when you give it what it needs to grow. 

Yum...yum..yummmm!!!!

Stop what you're doing.

No, seriously. 

You need to put down whatever you're doing and go and make this recipe! 

It is seriously that good.

Black Bean, Cilantro and Lime Rice Bowl

2 Cups brown rice, chilled

2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups diced tomatoes (about 3 roma tomatoes)

1 bunch green onions, sliced

3 T Canola oil

3 T red wine vinegar

3 T water

Juice of a fresh lime

1 small jalapeno

1/2 cup cilantro (or if you love it like I do, closer to 1 cup)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 avocado

1/4 cup shredded cheese

1. In large bowl combine chilled rice, beans, tomatoes and green onions.

2. In small bowl whisk oil, vinegar, water, lime juice, jalapeno, cilantro, sugar and salt.

3. Pour dressing over rice and toss to coat. Cover and let sit at room temp for 30 minutes or so.

4. Top with cheese and avocado.

This recipe serves 4 as a main dish or 6 as a side dish.

And waaalaaaa! Dinner is served! I got this recipe from www.afoodiestaysfit.com which has a lot of great recipes and advice!  Some of the many reasons I love this recipe is (1) it's SUPER easy, (2) it is fresh and extremely flavorful, (3) very filling without making you feel bloated or gross and (4) it's healthy! This recipe is definitely a keeper. So go make it now!  

  

Thanks Wisconsin!

This weekend we are celebrating our one year anniversary with Wisconsin! And so I thought to myself, "what could be better then a post completely dedicated to some of the memories we've made in Wisconsin?" And the answer to that question is nothing. 

So here ya go! 

You've been good to us, Wisconsin....And we're sticking around for another year!