Happiness is...

Coming home to surprises...

I've been bugging Brent to put up this wine rack in the dining room; he finally did so as a surprise! Super happy about it

Hanging out with some awesome friends...

And playing disc golf- something we all love!

Although it got too dark out; we still managed to play 9 holes at Whitehall Township Disc Golf Course. It's a pretty awesome course. I can't wait to play the full 18! If you play disc golf too feel free to check out the courses I've played; I track them on my account at Disc Golf Course Review under the username lanns815.

Have a happy Sunday!

AMAZING Dinner

Earlier this week I made Thai Green Curry Coconut Shrimp with Basil. It was amazing! The recipe is from skinnytaste; this blog is one of the go to places to find new and exciting Weight Watchers friendly dishes. Although this one had me purchasing items not normally in my kitchen (green curry, coconut milk and fish sauce); it was totally worth it. My fiance Brent and I enjoyed it for dinner, and I had it as leftovers the next night too. Try it out; you won't be sorry!
 


Thai Green Curry Coconut Shrimp with Basil
Ingredients:

• 1 tsp oil
• 4 small scallions, whites and greens separated, chopped
• 1 tbsp Thai green curry paste (or more to taste)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (from 1 1/4 lbs unpeeled)
• 6 oz light coconut milk
• 2 tsp Thai fish sauce 
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• salt to taste

Directions:
In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat oil on medium-high flame. Add scallion whites and green curry paste; sauté one minute.

Add shrimp and garlic, season with salt and cook about 2-3 minutes.

Add coconut milk, fish sauce and mix well; simmer about 2-3 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through.

Remove from heat, mix in scallion greens and basil. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Make sure to calculate your own WW points; nutritional values vary based on brands. Skinnytaste stated that this recipe was 3 points for 1/4 of the shrimp and sauce. With my specific ingredients my entire recipe was only 6 points! 

Basement Overhaul!

Most people take a vacation day from work to relax, visit with family or friends, or go on a trip. Not me! Today I took a vacation day so I could get things done around my house! It seems as if I haven't been around much, or simply don't have the time to focus on the things that need to be completed. So today I did the dishes and the laundry; as well as the huge project of the basement!

I bought my house 4 years ago and it's still a work in progress! Now that the basement has been finished, and carpet has been added, I haven't spent the time to organize it to make it user friendly. Today I did just that! As an avid scrapbooker, I figured this would be the perfect place to get my scrapbook pages done. Check out the pictures of before and after! What an amazing change!!

My sister Rachel and I will be testing it out on Saturday as we complete a day of scrappin!

Look at this mess! (Before)

Yay! So happy with the new look! (After)

Now to move onto more projects...

Comfort of Home

Home. That word encompasses so many things! This week has been full of home moments; just enjoying my surroundings of life. Waking up this morning with my bed so cozy, especially with the crisp Michigan morning! It was tough to get up and leave that comfort, but I managed to do so.

Last night, finding my schedule open, I made the good 'ole standby for dinner- YUMMY grilled cheese (it was even Weight Watchers friendly with 1 point bread and 2 points of cheese). As I enjoyed my gooey cheese sandwich, I relaxed at the dining room table and relished in the comforts of my life- my family, friends, a job I love, routine, snail mail, smell of fall, and so much more. It's easy to forget all of the things that don't fall into that category- the dishes yet to be washed, the bookcase that needs to be dusted, the laundry that needs to be finished. Instead I wrapped my mind with all the comforts of life and feel fully and completely blessed!

What type of things do you find comforting in your own home? I'd love to hear from you too!

My Lively Life

My life has been super lively lately! Lively in a good way- don't get me wrong! I thought a new blog might be a good way for me to inform others of what is happening too!

1. I got engaged this past June and have begun planning our wedding for September of 2013
2. I've started a healthier lifestyle- beginning by changing my eating habits- using the Weight Watchers program
3. I challenged myself to read 52 books before my weddding (exactly one calendar year)
4. Since Pinterest is all the craze, I've talked to some friends and we are starting DIY nights using ideas we see on Pinterest
5. My friends and I are game lovers and often host game nights.

This blog will include updates form all of these things...

• what is happening in my wedding planning world
• amazing Weight Watchers recipes that I've personally tried and loved!
• my progress on the book challenge
• what the DIY group is up to
• favorite and new game highlights that you might want to try look into

At other points, I'm sure I'll share other stuff that I enjoy too--great bargains, scrapbooking/crafting inspiration, and more!

Enjoy!