Style: Riding Boots

I love these riding boots! I originally spotted them on Amazon.com for $45, but was able to locate the same ones on urbanog.com for just $35. You can check them out here.
The gold belted skirt is from Target, which is my favorite store these days. As you can see here, it's only $20.
The pictured jacket in my design is $60 -- which I'd rather not fork out for a simple denim jacket. So I found a similar style for half the price here at forever21.com.
The T-shirt is actually a whopping $200 plus (from Rag & Bone), so I'll leave it for you to decide where a similar style can be found for less!
The earrings, to my surprise, are very inexpensive. They're only $4.99 from Rue21. Check out the store's jewelry here. I selected them for their color -- a pretty mint green that adds a more polished side to the browns in the skirt and boots.
I hope you enjoyed this peek at one of my favorite trends, the riding boot! Be sure to leave a comment and let me know how you liked it. :)

Cranberry Spinach Salad

Eat your vegetables, Mom always said. After discovering this amazing salad dressing by Jamie Hensley on allrecipes.com, eating greens is no longer a chore. In fact, this has made salad one of my favorite foods. Here's the recipe to the tangy, sweet vinegar and oil dressing that you can make yourself. 

Jamie's Cranberry Spinach Salad

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
• 1 pound spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons minced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions: 

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.

Notes: It takes about 20 minutes to prepare this salad. This is enough for about 8-12 servings. At our house, we like to double the recipe and keep the dressing in a bottle, then add it to the greens and sprinkle on the toppings. I use Romaine lettuce when spinach isn't in the fridge, and I don't always toast the almonds; it still tastes great. For a variation, you can replace the cranberries with fresh, sliced strawberries. I've also enjoyed the addition of cooked chicken to the dish, and some say it's good with chopped apple. You can read all its five-star reviews here at the allrecipes site.

Isaiah 40:8

VisFest

My brother James, close friend Ashlea, and I just learned tonight that our short film Discovery got Best of VisFest at our school district's film festival! It took days of filming and way too many hours of editing, but with a medal, a trophy, and Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 in my hands, I feel like it was worth the work. :)


Watch it here on YouTube: Discovery: A Short Film

Joshua Eddy 1993-2012

https://www.facebook.com/JoshuaSEddy
I would like to think that I have the eloquence to write something beautiful and heart-moving that would give you hope after his passing, but I don't have words to say. I never knew Josh, but I wish I had. He was an amazing person, a powerful Christian, and I know about him so much more now that the attention has been called to him.


It was Saturday, or Monday. I sat down and logged on to Facebook. A post from First Impressions showed up, so I read it, assuming it would be a movie update. Wow. The words I read knocked the breath out of me -- was this for real? One of the directors died -- Joshua Eddy? I had no further information to reference, so that post stewed in my head for the longest time as I tried to imagine how, or why he could have died. I had been following First Impressions closely since stumbling upon their blog, and to hear this -- Shock. Disbelief. Sorrow. A cracked heart.


Why did God take him home? I can't even try to figure it out, because His purposes are so much greater than I could ever fathom. I would simply twist my emotions up even further.
As with all situations like this -- dealing with that word, Death -- we have to trust that God is in control and the best thing we can do is trust him. It's what he needs us to do. Joshua Eddy is far, far happier in Heaven now, and even though we want him back...


P.S. To the First Impressions team, if you ever read this, please don't stop making the movie. If you ever considered giving up the project (because the thought flickered in my head that you might), well, DON'T.  I don't think Josh would have wanted you to leave it unfinished :)

Modesty

Word Blocks

1. Find four wooden blocks about the same size. Sand the fronts and edges smooth.

2. Cut newsprint (magazine text works fine!) into rectangles that are slightly smaller than the front of the blocks.

3. Use acrylic paint to coat the blocks with a bright color.

4. Let the blocks dry; then glue newsprint to the front of each one. Rub sandpaper along the edges of the print for texture.

5. Use more acrylic paint to write a letter or symbol on each block (I wrote L, O, V, E); then add swirls and flourishes with a thin-tipped Sharpie.

6. Perfect! Use the word blocks to add color to a windowsill, dresser, or bookshelf.

The Adventures of Tintin

Somewhere along the way as I grew up, I was introduced to the Adventures of Tintin. And boy, were those a hit in our house! From King Ottokar's Sceptre to Tintin in Tibet: we read every colorful book. A few years back, we were hesitant to accept the news that Tintin would star in a movie come 2011. Would the makers respect Herge's comics?

                                                                                                                                          I'm excited to say that The Adventures of Tintin really did justice to the books. Tintin looked perfect, Captain Haddock's voice was superb, and the plot was entertaining and quite true to the original story. Add that to the spectacular animation effects, and you have my favorite movie! I'm hoping to see a sequel to this amazing film in the coming years.

Captain Haddock's thirst for adventure is "Unquenchable"

Style: Bold Stripes

  

 

DIY Frappuccino

Mmm! Who doesn't love an icy, sweet frappuccino from Starbucks Coffee? But there's a problem: the price. A typical 12-oz frappe costs nearly $4.00, giving you only a few sips of coffee delight for the price of a gallon of gas. The solution: make your own frappuccino!

After researching ingredients and doing plenty of experimenting, I have designed what I believe is the perfect copycat frappe recipe.

Before You Begin
To get the blended ice texture and coffee flavor, I used coffee ice cubes. To make your own, brew 4-6 cups of coffee using 1.5 or 2 times as much ground coffee as usual. Let it slightly cool, then pour the strong coffee into empty ice cube trays. Freeze the cubes to use in the recipe.

Ingredients
12 coffee ice cubes
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp. caramel sauce (I made my own! recipe here)
2 tbsp. chocolate sauce
2 tbsp. white sugar
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream (optional, for added creaminess)
whipped cream

Instructions
Blend the milk, sugar, flavored sauces, and ice cream. Once they have combined, add the coffee ice cubes into the blender and set on High until the ice is smooth. Pour into a glass, top with whipped cream, and enjoy! Serves 2.

Forgiven

Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,


Psalm 32:3-5
When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.


I John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.


Romans 5:1
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Well, nobody's perfect, we say when we're accused. It's a pretty lame excuse, but it happens to be true. None of us is perfect: we all sin. A lot. Telling a white lie, yelling at mom, hating someone, cheating on homework, saying crude words, looking at someone lustfully. . . on and on the list grows, and as we try to remember every wrong we've done, shame and guilt overwhelms us. Left with the burden of these sins, what are we to do? Ignore everything? David wrote in Psalm 32, "When I kept silent . . . Your hand was heavy upon me." The load would be unbearable. Or, we can turn to God. Strip away the tough facade, leaving yourself open, with nothing to hide. Repent and believe in Jesus. Ask Him to forgive you, because he can and will. He can take your sin, every last drop! Black stains washed away. It is so refreshing to give yourself up to Him, receiving peace with God.

Welcome!

Hey guys! This is Lydia. Welcome to my first blog ever: Dear Notebook. On this blog, I'll share devotionals, updates, recipes, cool photos, book reviews, and so much more. Enjoy!