Thanksgiving Trip Part 1: Austin

Friday morning the 18th Dave and I headed down to Austin for a quick trip to see where we will be living come January and to meet up with some of my blog friends :)

 After our 9 hour drive we got to Ruthie's house...Dave and I hung out with her and her husband Jon for a bit. I instantly felt like I'd known Ruthie forever. Plus, I didn't realize how much we had in common. It was the same for Dave and Jon...it was crazy how much their lives have paralleled. We will definitely be hanging out with these two again as soon as we get down to Austin.

After a bit Amanda and her boyfriend Scott arrived and she is such a sweetheart! We went out for Mexican for dinner and then they took us down to 6th street. That's definitely a part of Austin that lives up to the weird standard. Afterwards we went back to Ruthie's and stayed up way too late talking. Amanda brought Ruthie and I little iron skillets with brownie mix, how cute is that? I can't wait to use it!

The next day Jon made Ruthie, Dave, and I breakfast burritos that were exactly like something Dave and I would make. After we talked a little while longer Dave and I headed to check out St. Edwards' campus (where he will be going in the Spring semester). The view was amazing...

After a quick drive through of the campus we headed to Dallas...

Steppin' Out {23}...

This past Friday Dave had a show at Vienna Coffee House in Maryville, TN. This is the third time he's played there and we love it! The atmosphere is great (it's an old house turned coffee shop), the people are friendly, and the drinks are yummy (we highly recommend the muddy river...mmm). So if you're ever in the Knoxville/Maryville area make sure to stop by...

The crowd was amazing on Friday and we had such a great time. It was so much fun to catch up with people who used to come see Dave play weekly.

{photo credit to our friend Everett @nikonlover104 on twitter}

Top~ Target

Jeans~ Gap

Boots~ Target

I promise to have more recaps of our time in Tennessee this week so make sure to check back!

Linking up with Harper's Happenings...

Guest post: Campfire Song

Today we have Lindsey from Campfire song who has written something for you all, I just love this post because it is something that I am working on myself...make sure to go tell her hi and show some love when you're done reading!**

Chicken.

It stops you from chasing your dreams.

It keeps you awake at night.

It steals your confidence.

It’s paralyzing. It keeps you static. It tells you you’re not good enough. It keeps you stuck in your past and terrified of what your future holds.

It causes physical pain; even disease.

It keeps you unhappy.

It disallows you to fulfill your potential.

To be you.

It’s fear.

Fear of the unknown.

Of judgement.

Of failure. Pain. Change.

How does this emotion get control of us? While it’s designed to keep us safe, for many of us it’s crippling.

Like a cage.

Technically it’s not even real – it makes us afraid of what we think might happen.

I have fear.

Fear of death. Fear about money. Fear that the baby won’t sleep through the night. Fear that in general I missed the boat and am doing it all wrong. Fear of spiders and gross animals. Fear that I’ve carried with me for decades.

I’m tired, and I’m done with fear now.

Or, once I figure out how to make it go away I will be.

Until then I’m learning about fruits (Matt. 7:20), learning to think in the present (not the past…), and trying to keep it rational.

Merry Indie Christmas...

I know, I know we just had Thanksgiving...but today Casey, Danielle, Kate and Janel are hosting a "Merry Indie Christmas" link-up to share our handmade business products!

 I started my shop after I won a giveaway on a blog for a necklace (from a shop that shall remain nameless) and it was a hot glue gunned mess...there was hot glue residue everywhere. Then, I went to unfasten the it and the chain broke. Just like that. 

Dave was sitting there and said, "You could make it better than that!" And it got me thinking...why don't I make something? I've always loved being crafty and putting colors together and since I had a new love of hippie style headbands that was what I wanted to start with.

So I headed to some craft stores and my Mom brought me over a few things and I got to work. Now I can't get enough! I love creating things for you all and hope you love them as much as I do.

You can find my shop here~ http://www.etsy.com/shop/mallorieowens

PS~ another great Indie Christmas gift is my husband's album! He is so talented and I know you all will love it. His album can be heard on the radio all over the US and Canada. It has also been picked up to be played on: MTV, VH1, Discovery, E!, and Oxygen's networks! You can purchase his album here~ http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-via-music/id435566648

I hope you all have a Very Merry Indie Christmas! It is so much fun to shop for handmade gifts, not to mention better for our economy. Happy Shopping! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Hope you all have wonderful days planned full of lots of food and family :) We are here in Knoxville, Tennessee spending time with Dave's family today.

So much to be thankful for this year. I feel so blessed to have you all along for the ride and supporting Dave and I...it truly means the world to both of us.

Since I usually post some recipes and food ideas on Thursdays for the "what's for dinner" link-up I do here, I thought I'd leave you guys with the chocolate chip pecan pie recipe that my Mom and I usually make together every year. This is how I'll be making it this year...

Besides just not being there when my family is all together, that is the hardest thing for me about missing Thanksgiving at home. That and going black friday shopping with my Dad the next day :)

What you'll need~

*1 1/2 bananas

*3/4 c water

*1 3/4 c cane sugar

*1/2 tsp sea salt

*1/2 stick unsalted butter

*2 tsp vanilla extract

*2 c pecan pieces

*1 1/2 c dark chocolate

*1 9inch pie crust

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Mix together the bananas and water until very well blended. Add the brown sugar and salt. Melt the butter and add to the mixture. Add the vanilla extract and chocolate chips.

Place the pecans in the pie shell and pour the mixture on top, the pecans will float to the surface. Place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 325°F (160°C) and bake until the center of the pie is set and no longer trembles when touched, about 65 minutes.

Enjoy!

Guest post: After Nine to Five

**Hey guys, today I'm excited to introduce you all to Ashley from After Nine to Five! Her blog is wonderful so if you haven't checked it out yet, make sure you do!**



Hi there! I'm Ashley from over at After Nine To Five. For years, my family had the same dinner for Thanksgiving. We had almost the exact same thing for Christmas, too. We'd have a similar meal for Easter with a little less food. For the fourth of July we'd cook out - the same goes for Memorial and Labor Day. We became creatures of habit when it came to holidays until my husband and I were seriously dating. And then something changed last year

Maybe I got bored with making the same thing every year.

Maybe I got the itch to try something new.

Maybe someone was sick and didn't want to spend time in the kitchen all day.

Whatever it was, we broke one of our traditions. We didn't have the same meal we always do for Christmas. And then last year we didn't have the same meal we always have for Easter, this year - we didn't even eat at home. And now this year instead of exchanging gifts, we're going to Mexico before Christmas with my parents.

Over the years, I've grown to appreciate the traditions that give me a sort of comfort when it comes to knowing what's going to happen. But I've also grown to even more so appreciate the times that we broke those traditions and created a memory that stood out from the last year's holiday. And the year before that. And the year before that.

With this upcoming year, I vow to break a few more "traditions" and add something new to them. Even if it's something small. Something that will make this new year's holidays stand out and give me something to look back on. Probably thinking it was totally ridiculous that I even tried to do something new, but hopefully it's more so that is was definitely worth it to change it up.

Our Thanksgiving will be the same this year and I'm okay with that. With such a big change in traditions for Christmas, some normalcy will be welcome for me. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and try not to get injured on Friday. But if you live in Wisconsin, don't get in my way. ;)

Guest post: Casey Leigh

**Today's guest post is by the wonderful Casey who writes over at Casey Leigh. I'm beyond excited to have her here on my little piece of the internet today. If you haven't been by Casey's blog before, go now! She is one that I make sure to read every day. She is an inspiration and someone I feel is a kindred spirit :) You guys are in for a treat...**

My name is Casey Wiegand, I am a freelance artist, wife and mama. 

I love painting and sharing our life through my blog...where you can expect pieces of my perspective on life, faith, kids, marriage, with touches of art, creative inspiration, projects and things I love along the way. I have two little ones in the hopes of lots more and am married to the love of my life :).

 Im a sensitive soul, I am a people pleaser, I tend to be insecure at times.

I am trying to say "no more apologies"...

this is who I am.

I AM that mom that hates being away from her kids, even for an hour.

I am NOT that mom that cooks amazing meals, in fact my kiddos eat waffles and sandwiches a lot of evenings.

I AM that girl that gets hurt easily.

I am NOT that girl that balances her time wisely.

I AM that mom that advocates co.sleeping and NOT letting your babies cry it out.

I am NOT that mom that is crazy about schedules, about dropping pasies/bottles etc etc

I AM that wife that chooses her husband through it all.

I am NOT that wife that does everything right.

I was going through some messy stuff in December and I read this quote by Leslie

"If you haven't already gathered, or happen to be reading this blog for the first time in your life, I am a melancholy girl through and through. I find beauty in not only the beautiful things in life, but the bittersweet and sad as well. To me, there is something poignantly lovely about the human experience from its splendor to its grief. God created all our emotions, not just the happy ones, and for His good purposes. That's why a good cry can feel so good. And hitting our limits forces us to look outside ourselves for a Savior. It is in the plea, when we're at our end, that we can find that which is truly life-giving. Personally, my moments of deepest grief, deepest pain, have resulted in the most beautiful seasons in my heart. I've met God more intimately in those moments than in all the other pleasant ones combined. What isn't completely lovely about that?"

In a moment where I felt alone, I felt heartbroken, angry.....I read this and suddenly felt like someone out in the world possibly understood. In January of this year with 20 followers I started speaking out on my beliefs. I started talking about mama stuff, some heartache, money trouble, csection scars, NICUs, my miscarriage, almost killing my dog on accident....and that's not the half of it. I havent even gone down some of the REALLY tough roads of where I have been with you all yet.

I wanted (and still do) this to be a blog/ a place of inspiration, uplift, joy...but also truth. Because life is hard. 

A lot of us have been through some seriously icky stuff. 

And so I wanted this also to be "real". 

It's easy to take beautiful family photos and pretend to have it all together-but  who does that help?

Then Rachel (who blogs here) said this...

"To be taken seriously, I must realize the seriousness of  blogging.

Not in a "I take myself very seriously" type of way at all. More in the way that you realize the importance of the words, the faith and the beliefs that you hold.

I have a responsibility and far reaching arms when I share my words and

so

do

you.

Use your blog, your words and your person to share the Lord (and your heart) with others.

They desperately need to hear your story as much as you need to hear theirs.

Be serious. Be passionate and Be you."

Use your voice. No apologies. 

We are all different and have been through different things, believe different things.... but whoever you are there is SOMEONE you can touch with your story.

Don't hold onto it.

Sponsor "Home is with you..."

Here are some stats...

200+ views daily
166 likes on facebook
704 followers on twitter 

332 google followers, growing daily! 
*Plus my husband's social network that he shares the blog with of about 20,000+ people! 

 

*Even though our readership and page views have increased since last month, for the month of December the prices aren't going to increase! I know everyone is tight these days because of the holidays coming up, so I wanted to make it easier for you all to still sponsor us next month :)

Introducing feature spots! These will only be available month-to-month. They are $10/month. Feature spots will be placed above the rest of the sponsors. Spots are limited.

The large spots are $6/month or $15 for 3 months. These will be the first spots below the feature spots.

The small spots are $4/month or $10 for 3 months. They will be placed below the large sponsor spots.

I'm also open to doing giveaways and/or reviews if you wish to do so, just let me know! I'd also love to wear your products to help promote your shop and help get your name out there. I will only wear items that reflect my personal style. You can email me if you're interested or with any questions at Homeiswithyoublog {at} gmail {dot} com ...can't wait to hear from you!

**Prices are subject to change as my blog grows

Guest post: The Arizona Russums

**To kick off our guest posts I have Jen from The Arizona Russums here today to share with you all! Make sure to go give her some love after you read this amazing post, love her fun site :)**

Hi! My name is Jen and I blog about faith, marriage, grad school and life in the desert over at 

The Arizona Russums! I am so excited to be here with y'all on Mallorie's blog today!

*****

Did  you ever watch the movie Pollyanna growing up? I loved that movie - mainly looking at all of Pollyanna's pretty dresses after she got to go shopping with her rich aunt {Is that materialistic? I was obsessed with dresses when I was little}. I also read the book, because I am the nerd that always reads the book.

Anyway, if you are familiar with Pollyanna you probably remember that she played the "glad game" in which she would try to find something to be thankful for in the midst of unfortunate situations. In the book/movie, she talks about a time her family {who were missionaries} received a package of crutches instead of a package of toys {Pollyanna was expecting a doll}. But instead of being mad about the crutches, they chose to be glad that they didn't have to use them.

It's so easy to be "thankful" for the obvious things in life - shelter, food, family, friends. Of course, we should be thankful for these things and try not to take them for granted, but sometimes I like to challenge myself to find things to be thankful for in the sad, messy, chaotic or confusing moments in life. Even when things don't seem to be going my way, I know there are things to be thankful for in every situation.

Here are a few of my glad moments lately:

{This is what my bedroom looks like right now - as well as the rest of my house. We just moved this weekend, and while I hate moving, I am thankful for a newer, bigger house that will allow us to be more hospitable to friends and family!}

{These are my running shoes that haven't been used in over a week. Due to the craziness of moving, visitors and presentations for school, I have not been able to work out in far too long. However, I am about to go suffer through a run after a week off. Even though I know it will probably not be very fun, I am so thankful I have legs that can walk and run! Not everyone does. I am privileged, not entitled, to exercise.}

{This is the pile of books that currently sits on my desk at school. The end of the semester is always completely overwhelming as I try to juggle grading my students' papers with writing my own for my grad classes. Even though it's easy to get stressed and anxious during this time, I am thankful that I am in grad school pursuing my dream of getting my PhD and that I have an amazing husband that supports this endeavor, even though it means I spend many late nights writing papers and am only able to contribute a teeny, tiny portion to our family income.}

And here is that supportive husband... love him...

Now what are some things you can be thankful for in the messy areas of life?

xoxo,

Jen

On the road again...

 Bright and early this morning Dave and I are headed down to Austin! We are beyond excited. Neither of us has ever been and since this will be our new home come January, we can't wait to check it out. We're also extra excited because tonight we get to meet the fabulous Ruthie and Amanda...don't worry I'll write a post and tell you all about it :)

As amazing as this adventure is going to be, this trip is going to be a crazy one! Here's our schedule...

*Dave and I will be in Austin Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon.

*Saturday afternoon we'll be heading back up to Dallas for Dave's show at Opening Bell that night

*Sunday morning we're headed to Knoxville, TN...this is where Dave's family is, we can't wait to meet the new baby and see everyone!

*Monday Dave will be on Channel 8 News in Knoxville on the noon show

*Tuesday RELAXING...hopefully :)

*Wednesday morning Dave will be on air bright and early at 106.1 you can listen in here, later that night Dave will be on Writer's Block at 10pm ET, you can listen online here

*Obviously, Thursday is Thanksgiving and we'll be spending the whole day with family

*Friday Dave has a show at Vienna Coffee House

*Sunday we're headed towards home, but will be spending the night in Kentucky with one of Dave's old friends

*And Monday we will finally be headed home!!

 

Whew! Are you guys tired? Because I'm tired! Apparently these kicks were made for traveling...I will miss you all! But not to worry, I lined up some fabulous guest bloggers while we're gone and I promise to pop in from time to time and say hi :) Happy Friday!

PS~ for a better description of where we'll be and what we're doing, check out Dave's post about our trip! 

And the winner of The Yellow Peony giveaway is Ruthie! Hahaha, so serious, I took a screen shot and everything to prove to you all that random.org chose the very first entry. That just so happens to be one of the ladies I'll be meeting in Austin tonight...how crazy is that?

What's for dinner {12}...

Monday Dave and I had barbeque "chkn" nuggets and butternut squash. If you are vegetarian/vegan or just want a meatless meal, we highly recommend these! They are so delicious. The brand is Morningstar and they can be found at most grocery stores, we got ours at Target, of course :)

Tuesday Dave and I had tuna (with a little mustard) and cheese on a whole wheat bagel. Gotta love the toaster oven...delicious every time.

Wednesday night we went out to dinner with my Dad and Grandma for my Grandma's birthday. Afterwards we just couldn't help but indulge in one of the pumpkin cookies my Mom gave us for our trip...thanks Mom!

Now let's see what you all have been up to in the kitchen!

<a href="http://www.mallorieowens.com"><img src="http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll13/malibu7213/IMG_3730-2.jpg" /></a>

Wordless Wednesday {16}...

One of my happy places...

Linking up with  The Paper Mama, And Then She {Snapped}, Project Alicia, Live and Love Outloud, Angry Julie Monday, Naptimemomtog, Jenni from the Blog, and A Little King and I...

Dear Husband...

...I love you more every day. I feel so blessed I can call you mine. The decision to be your wife was the easiest one I've ever made and the one that has brought me the most happiness. I'm so proud of you for pursuing your dreams and thank you for encouraging me to do the same.

I love the sound of your music filling the house throughout the day and your beautiful voice singing me to sleep at night. Not to mention watching you on stage. The way your face lights up and you can't help but jump up and down and stomp your feet, it makes my heart happy.

Thanks for loving me. 

Love always,

Mal