Pumpkin bread with cinnamon streusel topping

I know this is the second recipe post here in a row (weird), and also the second post in a row that I demanded you make said recipe... but this pumpkin bread, you guys. You need it in your life. 

We had a little fall cool snap here (finally!), and this was the perfect addition to a very full weekend. Hope you can find the time to make it! Since I'm too lazy to post the whole recipe, go on over here for the details. Happy MONDAY! :)

(check out this post from last year, too: "five things you should try this fall"!)

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Our Wedding Day

Our wedding day was absolutely fabulous!  Both Aaron and I felt so incredibly loved by our families and friends that we didn't really have time to think about anything else. Since July 11, 2005 - the day Deanna was born - I knew I wanted her to be part of my wedding.  Eight years ago, I didn't know who my husband would be, but I knew wholeheartedly that I wanted Deanna to be by my side no matter what. Another reason why the openness part of open adoption was so important to me.



I will post some updates later about how our open adoption has been going eight years in, but for the purposes of this post, I'll be brief.  Don, De and Deanna recently moved to California for a job promotion that Don received.  Sad, yes.  It was tough, but ultimately the right choice for them. Anyway, it meant a lot to me that they made it a point to be at my wedding, even delaying their move to California a few days to make sure they were there for me.  Deanna was a flower girl, along with Aaron's niece, Zoe, which was a special memory I'll never forget. They became fast friends and even looked like they could be sisters.



Although the day felt perfect, not everything went exactly as planned. But we do have some funny memories to look back on. When Aaron and I were attempting to cut the cake, nobody told us that there is a freaking LAYER OF CARDBOARD inside the wedding cake to hold up each tier. I suppose that should be obvious, but who would be thinking about cardboard when you're trying to co-maneuver a sharp object with 170 people staring in your direction? Aaron and I just kept sawing the knife, trying to cut through the cardboard, smiling, smiling... smiling.... nervously laughing. Finally, we realized what was happening and moved the knife up a layer so we could cut through the cake.  Ta-da!  Magic.



Did you know that some garters are less elastic-y than others?  Neither did I.  Until Aaron and I were leading the way up to the buffet, with a large pack of guests following behind us, and I felt something slither down my leg. Whaaaaat the heck was that?  I realized that my garter had gotten stretched out and had slipped down my leg.  I stopped right then and there, halting the entire buffet line, reached under my dress and pulled the darn thing off my leg.  I quickly balled it up and shoved it inside Aaron's suit pocket. Later, I had to put the garter back on, but the only way it would stay on my leg was to literally put it alllll the way up there as far as it would go, making the garter removal portion of the evening very awkward.



Two additional debacles that weren't quite as funny: Our  DJ cancelled on us two weeks before the wedding - via snail mail letter. Yeah, that happened. Luckily, we have a friend who is a DJ was able to fill in at the last minute, but holy crap, who does that?!  Also, our limo driver crapped out on us and didn't show up at the end of the night to pick us up.  Fortunately, the reception venue had a golf cart that was available for us to use, so nobody even knew that we had a different exit planned. On a positive note, after we drove off in the golf cart, my sister and her boyfriend met us on the other side of the building and agreed to chauffeur us to our honeymoon villa (5 miles away). Before we left, I made a special request for my sister go back inside and run a recon mission. I asked her to fetch us some leftover cake since we barely had time to even taste the most expensive dessert we had ever and will ever purchase. Michelle didn't disappoint; she emerged with a huge smile on her face and about 12 takeout boxes full of leftover wedding cake. The unreliable limo driver quickly became a distant memory, as we realized that our impromptu golf cart exit was obviously meant to be.



Our wedding day was pretty awesome and we couldn't have been happier with the way everything turned out. Looking back on the day, and thinking about the series of events that led me to where I am today, I'm realizing more and more that the sweetest surprises and the greatest blessings often come from the things we haven't planned for ourselves.



Finally, here are some our favorite pictures, taken by the amazing Haley George Photography.

One of my favorite moments of the entire day - my dad walking me down the aisle. 

the first kiss

My father-in-law, Jim and three beautiful sisters-in-law, Jenny, Hannah & Anne

De, Aaron, Amstel, Don & Deanna

Friends: Jena, Angela, Caitlin  |  Sisters: Laura, Michelle, Anne, Hannah, Jenny  |  Niece: Zoe

Deanna sandwich!

Father-Daughter Dancing!

My sisters, Laura & Michelle and flower girls, Zoe & Deanna

Deanna and Zoe twirling around the dance floor

It wouldn't be a wedding reception without Cotton Eyed Joe!

As you can see, Deanna is now strong enough to pick me up!

Our awesome friends from Raleigh came all the way to Pawleys Island to celebrate with us!

All muuuuuurrrried up! 

Light Italian Meatball soup (YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS) + Friday Features

YOU GUYS, this soup! Matthew and I eat a lot of chicken since I never have trouble finding delicious, healthy chicken recipes, but I have trouble incorporating other meats into meal time, to mix things up. I was looking for ground beef recipes the other day, and I found this one. It sounded so delicious, and last night we tried it. 10 out of 10, y'all! This recipe needs to be in your life.

LIGHT ITALIAN MEATBALL SOUP

*serves 6-8

Ingredients: 
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup of diced onion
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 8 cups of low sodium beef broth
• 2 cups of water
• 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 1 14.5-oz can of diced tomatoes 
• ½ lb Ditalini or Macaroni pasta
• 2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
• 2 Tbsp chopped basil

Meatballs:

• 1 lb lean ground beef (90/10 or higher, you won't be able to drain the grease!)
• ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 2 large egg whites

Directions:

1. Warm olive oil in a large 6-8 quart stock pot over medium high heat
2. Chop carrots, onions, and garlic. Add the carrots and onions to warm pan, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook an addition 1 minute.
3. Add broth, water, tomato paste and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Meanwhile combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with hands to combine. Using a 1 tablespoon scoop to portion, lightly shape the scoops into meatballs using your hands to roll them. Drop them into the broth, distributing them evenly around the pot. Cover. Allow to boil for 5 minutes. Stir meatballs gently.
5. Add pasta. Cook 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Add basil and parsley, stir and serve. ENJOY! :)
   
   
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Happiness in Bloom is a blog by a sweet Florida girl named Stacie, who you can get to know a wee bit better here. I love how honest Stacie is about her ten year struggle with depression, and her commitment to embracing the good in herself and her life. In Stacie's own words, "this blog will document my journey towards finding happiness within myself while also having a positive impact on those around me."

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Mismatched Simplicity is an adorable blog with an equally adorable author named D'Ann, who you can get a taste for right over here. See? Told you she's adorable.  Mismatched Simplicity is one of those blogs that just feels like a warm hug when you enter it, and like D'Ann and her husband could probably be your BFFs. You should probably head on over there and get on that! ;)

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Priscilla is the beautiful brains behind the Stylish Gimp, a fashion blog that just so happens to work around a wheelchair! Priscilla was paralyzed in an accident back in 1999 (read some FAQs about that right over here on her other blog, The Wheelchair Mommy), but this incredible lady never let that slow her down from living life. She's married with three kids and also a total fashionista, which you'll soon see over at the Stylish Gimp. I've had the pleasure of meeting Priscilla in real life since she's a fellow Austinite, and what an inspiration she is! Stop by and pay this lovely lady a visit. 

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HAPPY FRIDAY! 

To build a home

We're going on month six since we signed the contract on our new home, and month five of living with my mom. The house is slowly but surely coming along... well, mostly just slowly, but there has definitely been significant progress in the last couple weeks. They bricked the outside, mostly drywalled the inside, and poured the driveway. Now all we have left is a million other things that go into piecing together a home. But it will be beautiful, and it will be worth it, and I already envision our future there. Just waiting on that future to begin...

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Thoughts on personal style (+a Penn Avenue Eyewear giveaway!)

Jeans and shirt: Banana Republic, Shoes: c/o Minnetonka, Glasses: c/o Penn Avenue Eyewear

I have been thinking a lot about personal style lately. It's something that's pretty important to me and also something I've always "struggled" with, for lack of a less dramatic word. The thing is, I love a lot of different kinds of styles, and I can be fairly easily influenced by other stylish people I admire or, let's face it, FREE CLOTHES. When you're a blogger and also tight for cash, and people start offering you free clothes, you figure you can't be too picky, right?

The thing that's been bothering me lately, though, is that when I open my closet each day to find something to wear, so little of it really resonates with me. My closet has turned into this weird thing full of free clothes that aren't really even ME. Aren't what I feel most comfortable in, aren't what actually reflects my tastes, when you get down to it. A couple days ago I tried to put together an outfit for a blog post, and it felt so weird and contrived and, as a result, it looked terrible on me. Then the next day, I thoughtlessly threw on this outfit in the photos above and below, just to run an errand, and I felt so comfortable and great in it and, even though it isn't really Blogger Perfect whatsoever, I felt like I was being true to myself, and that is a good way to feel.

So maybe this wonderfully boring outfit today is just sort of my way of starting over, starting with a simple, clean palette, and making a pact (with myself and with you) that I'm not going to compromise my own tastes anymore. (Though maybe I never really was - maybe I had to learn for sure what isn't me before I could know what really is?) 

Jeans and shirt: Banana Republic, Shoes: c/o Minnetonka, Glasses: c/o Penn Avenue Eyewear

The fine folks at Penn Avenue Eyewear are sponsoring SOML for the next few months and would love to give away one complete pair of prescription glasses or non-prescription sunglasses to a reader... sweet, huh? The ones I'm wearing above are the Morgan frames in tortoise, and I absolutely love them. Enter for your chance to win a pair in the Rafflecopter below, and good luck! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Something Old

The last day of the Blogtember Challenge! We're about to be back to our regularly scheduled programming around here, and I'm OK with that. As per usual, I struggled with committing to a whole month-long deal, but it was good for me, and obviously I HAD to see it through, since I hosted! I had so much fun working through the prompts with many of you this month, and I hope you did too. :) And now, for the last day. Share a photo of something old. Maybe something that has personal history for you, that was passed down to you, and that has special meaning to you. Tell us about it and why it's special.

This was my sweet late grandma's HIGH SCHOOL ring. My mom brought it back after the funeral along with some other keepsakes of my Grandma's, and I claimed this one. I wear it almost every single day, and think of her whenever I put it on. "Peg" is engraved on the inside, which makes it even more special and personal... I feel a little closer to her when I wear it. It gives me courage and peace when I'm feeling anxious about something, and I love to imagine her going about her day some 60 years ago, wearing this ring that I now wear, never imagining how much it would mean to her granddaughter when she was gone. Love you and miss you so much, Grandma. Always.

Amstel Got Muuuuuried!

Good news, friends.  I am officially a married woman!  Aaron and I tied the knot on June 22nd in Pawleys Island, South Carolina.  The whole entire week was just perfect.  Aaron's dad, who also happens to be the pastor at our amazing church, Covenant Church International, performed the ceremony. Having Aaron's dad marry us made the ceremony even more special and meaningful.



Something else really special was the beautiful double rainbow we saw the night before our wedding on the way to the rehearsal dinner. Rainbows have special significance to Aaron's family. When Aaron's dad and mom were dating, they had prayed a lot about whether or not God was calling them to join their lives together.  One day, when they were on their way to the beach, they were talking about what God wanted for their relationship, and they saw a huge, beautiful rainbow and believed it was a sign that God was confirming their relationship.  When Aaron's mom passed away a few years ago, rainbows became especially meaningful.  All three of Aaron's sisters and his dad have spotted rainbows during some big life events, confirming even further that their mom is smiling down on them.  I always had wondered what Aaron's mom would have thought of me and wished that I had been able to meet her.  When we spotted the beautiful, double rainbow the night before our wedding, it confirmed to all of us that God was with us, Aaron's mom was with us, and that she would have approved. :)

Instagram photo compliments of my lovely friend, Melanie!

Aaron's sister, Anne, and his dad, Pastor Jim!