Independence Day Re-cap

Right now as I am writing this, booms are going off everywhere around me. Boom, boom, boom! Yes I definitely live in a town where fireworks are legal. Then tomorrow because of the area where I live in L.A., right up to the foothill, all the smoke from the fireworks will settle right along the mountain, sigh... oh well the run must go on. 

Speaking of running, yesterday, Sean and I started our 4th of July with a local 5K, and my running partner joined us for the run. Then right back home to prep for our afternoon bbq of hamburgers, hot dogs, deviled eggs(my secret ingredient is hickory smoked salt), homemade baked beans and a fruit salad. We had the addition of a broccoli salad, sangria, chips and guacamole thanks to some of our friends.

Just a few photos of our 4th of July. 

Enjoy!

Food

More food

Happy 4th of July

Love this couple

Hello Kip!

A serious game of ladder ball (Sean made it!)

Kip wanting to join in

Hi husband!

A sign made for us using glo-sticks used as the exit of our wedding

Hope everyone had a great and safe 4th of July!

Guest Post - nook & sea

When I need house decorations or accessories inspiration, I turn to this sweet girl's blog. Kristina is the author of nook & sea and I have met her a few times as well. 

Her sense of home and life is pure California, great pieces, little touches here and there.

I love this board you put together for you all for her guest post.

Thank you Kristina!

Hi everyone! I'm Kristina with the home decor and lifestyle blog, Nook & Sea. While Meg's away, I thought I'd share a bit of my favorite exotic finds! With the Moroccan trend taking the stands, it's no wonder that ornate and colorful housewares are in the spotlight. Decadent lanterns, intricate wood detailings, bright fringes and soft frills make the Moroccan style even more appealing this summer season. And with retailers like West Elm catching the drift, perhaps it's time to add a little exotic flare to your space! We could all use a little getaway :)

lounge, tile, living room, bedroom, pillow, coffee table, pink vignette, fabric, basket

Guest Post- The Short and Sweet of It

I love blogger meet-ups, why because you get to meet the coolest people behind their blogs. Alexa and Kirby of the Short and Sweet of It are those cool people you have to meet one day. I am honored to have Kirby guest posting here today, and her sense of style is just beyond cool too. Wishing I had this amazing trip she has coming up and telling you all about today. Thank you Kirby!!

Hi everyone! Kirby from The Short and the Sweet of It here. I'm so happy to be guest posting for Meg while she's enjoying her summer vacation! 

I'm anxiously awaiting an upcoming girls' trip to Miami this August, to celebrate my friend Michelle's bachelorette, so I thought I'd share what I'd love to be packing in my weekend bag later this summer.

It's going to be H-O-T in Miami in August, so we'll be spending the majority of our daylight hours in the pool. I spotted the mint green, Aztec print bikini on Pinterest and have to have it. Does anyone know who makes it? And if you're ever going to sport a spotted leopard bikini, Miami is the place to do it!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

Since it's a quick trip, I'll try to pack items that can work with multiple outfits, like the black clutch. For night one, I'll pair a breezy black dress with neon heels and a statement necklace. For night two, I'll show off my new tan with a snakeskin print mini.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Thanks for having me Meg!

Guest Post - The News from LaFuze

 Today, I have one of my bestest blogger buddies for you. Jamie, I was so excited to meet when we both went to the So-Cal blogger meet-up back in February. It was her and Katie that I was most looking forward to meeting. We have hung out twice since then and I ca honestly say she is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met. Plus as a Christian, we have that connection there already, which easil surpasses any blogging connection we could make.

I honestly wish Sean and I lived closer to her and her husband, also we would run together a lot and watch the Padres frequently.

Take it away Jamie and thanks for helping keep my blog alive while we are tramping through the East Coast.

Hi Henning Love readers!  First, I have to say that I am head over heels excited to be guest posting for Meg.  I have been truly blessed by not only her blog but getting to know her as a friend.  I blog over at The News From LaFuze, my own little space to be myself-a beautiful mess.  My blog is a potpourri of everything, from faith to recipes to tips on staying healthy.

Today I wanted to share something from the heart that completely speaks to me and that is a continual process: being confidant.  Earlier this year I set some goals, and they all centered around loving myself more and stressing less.  As I've ventured down this path to a beautiful me, I realized that I'm not alone.  I had the privilege of spending a Friday night with Meg at a craft fair and dinner, and we even talked about how easy it is to compare ourselves with the other great blogs we are surrounded by.  As women, I think we naturally compare ourselves.  But this does more harm than good, at least for me.

I would constantly tell myself I'm not good enough, doubt my ability, and felt the need for other's acceptance to fill me up and make me whole.  I let this need for other's acceptance drive my life choices, making me an over achiever.  What I realized, the hard way, was that I placed what I thought others expected of me above all else-and I was left feeling numb inside, now knowing who I was.  I wanted to be and do everything-the teacher, wife, blogger, crafter, baker, healthy, runner....the list could go on.  I was so stressed all of the time, but more importantly I didn't believe in myself and found myself constantly comparing myself to others.

Fortunately I found a book that has completely helped me transform my heart:

As I read the book I was thinking, "How does she know me so well!".  Every chapter connected to me.  I'm normally not one to read lots of self-help books, but I can't put this one down!  I wanted to leave you with 5 truths that I've learned from this book that have completely rocked me:

1. Doubt and hope cannot live in our hearts at the same time.

We have to know and believe that God can and will change us.  By doubting ourselves or even doubting God, we leave no room for hope for this transformation.

2. "Jesus is the only One who can meet our deepest needs to be accepted and delighted in simply because of who we are.  We can offer nothing but our presence.."

This was hard for me to swallow.  Umm...I'm a people pleaser!  But I wrote this down and posted it on my bathroom mirror to remind myself everyday-God accepts me for ME!

3. "You've been trying to earn your value in everything you've done.  But you will never find the love you long for in anyone or anything but ME. I AM the unconditional love you are looking for."

This is a truth from God.  I realized that I was seeking validation in so many areas of my life: my job, marriage, friendships, blogging, church, etc.  But I wasn't giving all of these things ME, I was giving them who I thought they wanted.

4. "A confidant heart is found in a woman who knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that she is loved no matter what."

Wow!  I think of the surface we can read this and say to ourselves that we are that woman, but deep down inside I think we all struggle in some way or another.  It could be body image, self esteem, etc.  When I moved from reading this to believing this I felt a change.  Each day I have to give over to God, thank Him for His creation, acknowledge that I'm NOT perfect but He loves me because I am not.

5. "In Christ I am a chosen woman, a royal priest, a holy daughter, a woman belonging to God."

You are that!  You are holy, beautiful, pure, strong, confidant, courageous, patient, kind, and loved.  More than anything else, you are chosen.

I hope that one of these truths blesses you in some way or another!  

Love,

Jamie

I love this message Jamie, it is so important we remember who we belong to, to not get caught up in the things of this world and to seek His wisdom and counsel on a daily basis.

Guest Post - katie lately

Sorry, no Bachelorette re-cap for you today, I'm sure some of you are like thank goodness! Haha instead I have someone much better to share something a lot more deep than who went on the solo date and group date with Emily.

This guest poster is one of the best. She is genuine, she is kind and she is super sweet and I am very glad that God connected us over the blogging world. Also her husband is just as great as she is and the college he attended has a really super awesome name, ask her!

There are some posts that just speak to my heart and what Katie writes about God and lessons she is learning from Him, it tugs at my heart strings and makes me consider my current relationship with Him and how I can be closer to Him.

Katie, you are such a blessing to me and I know you will be an amazing mom!

 

On Growth..

This spring, I decided to learn how to garden. I bought a few plants, easy ones, just pansies and alyssum to start out. My sweet husband made me an awesome planter box out of some wood we salvaged from an old dresser. One of the ladies here at camp has a beautiful garden, so I asked her to help me plant my flowers and teach me how to take care of them. This time, I really wanted to keep those plants alive.  

www.carolinefontenot.com

So she taught me how much to water them and how often, she taught me how to cut them down after they bloom, and she taught me how to plant them with enough space and deep enough down that the roots get all the water they need.

After a few weeks, I knew I needed to "dead-head" (trim the spent blooms off) and I found myself not wanting to. I didn't want to cut away pieces of my precious plant, in fear I would ruin it. So I stared at my flowers, and at the dead ones that needed to be cut off, and I made myself do it. 

I started thinking and realized I do this with a lot of things in my life. I don't want to remove the parts that are finished. I'm afraid of letting things go that aren't necessarily what they once were to me. 

But you know what, after I dead-headed those flowers, the plant looked fresh. It wasn't cluttered with dead blooms and the live ones had room to reach closer to the sun.

It made me realize that this is sometimes what  God asks us to do, to remove parts of our lives that are spent so that the new, alive parts can reach Him better. I need to be more prepared and willing to get rid of the things that are just cluttering my life with dead leaves per se, and allow the new parts of me to feel fresh. To feel alive. And to have a way cleared for them to blossom. 

God promises us that he renews our hearts, and that when we ask for forgiveness our slates are wiped clean. What are you allowing yourself to hang on to that is cluttering the newness in your life? Allow yourself to move on, to make a fresh day for yourself. I bet you'll feel a lot better when you do :)

Guest Post - Join the Gossip

Monday all, and I hope you had an awesome weekend and a huge thank you to all my guest posters for their guest posts. I can't wait for you to read them all. 

I met Leeann back in February on our way down to San Diego for the huge blogger meet-up we went to. 2 hours in a car with a girl I had never met? Turned out awesome, we had a great time and I consider Leeann a real life friend as well as a blogger friend. Hope you all enjoy her post!

Hi there! My name is Leeann and I blog over at Join the Gossip. I am so excited to be here today, filling in for Meg. She's a doll! I'm fortunate enough to have hung out with her a few times in-person, so I can vouch for her being just as sweet in real life as she is on this blog!

While Meg is away on vacation she has me daydreaming of a getaway myself. Although I live in LA very close to beaches, it seems like I never get out to any of them. This summer it's time to make a change!

In order to be beach ready a trip to Old Navy is necessary! Check out all of these items below. For just over $100 you can be set for summer. Not too bad considering how much use you can get out of everything.

tank top / animal print bikini top / animal print bikini bottoms / shorts / flip flops / sunglasses / beach towel

Happy shopping, Henning Love readers. And happy soon-to-be summer!

 

This is Dedicated to You

Today's post is dedicated to you, my friends and followers. Earlier this year, in May, when I started my blog, I had no idea the amount of joy it would bring into my life through the comments and friendships that blossom along with each posting. As we are nearing the end of 2011, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart to you for letting me post about my interests, randomness and sometimes deeper thoughts. With your friendships, you have encouraged me to know that I am not some girl behind a desk at work, but a girl who loves to bake, do DIY crafts, and share with you the laughter in my life. So with this, I sign off on 2011 and see you all in 2012 for even greater and deeper friendships! 

Source: stylemepretty.com via Megan on Pinterest

Cup of Coffee with Callie of The Good Life

 Cup of Coffee is a series that I just now named to introduce you to other bloggers with a series of fun questions. Hope you enjoy and tomorrow is the last day to enter my Brittany Chavers necklace giveaway! Take it away Callie, who I like to call my southern sunshine, because she is always so warm, happy and full of that southern charm :-)


Hey Yall!!!!

I am Callie from The Good Life , and I can't tell you how excited I am to be over here at Henning Love. O my, is Meg not the best?? She is just the sweetest, cutest little baking queen I've ever seen. I tell her all the time, that if we ever met in real life, we would DEF be best friends!

Well, this is my first time to ever do a guest blog and Meg and I decided to do a little interview type of blog swap, so that yall could learn a little about us! So we are each answering the same 10 questions. Be sure to check out Meg's answers over at my blog. Hope yall enjoy :)

1) What is one thing that gets you really excited or the most happy?

What makes me most happy is my husband, Kendol and just hanging out with him everyday! We have a blast and he's the bestest!

2) What is one dish or meal you want to learn how to make really really well?

Chicken N' Dumplins!!! I'm pretty good at it now, but I must master the dumplin' part!! I have yet to get the hang of the "kneading" of the dough part.

3) What sports if any did you play in high school?

I was a cheerleader 7th-12th grade and I played Softball and High Jumped until 9th grade. I also took tap and jazz outside of school!!!

4) If you could trade places with anyone for one day, who would it be and why?

OOOOOO... tought one, but the first person that came to mind is Khloe Kardashian..So apparently that's who it is! Random, right?? Not exactly bc I am a little obsessed with the whole Kardashian Klan and she just so happens to be my favorite. Plus she is tall, like me and loves hats!! (I must meet her... she is fab)

Source: None via Taylor on Pinterest

Why Khloe, you ask? Well if I was Khloe, I would get to learn what it feels like to just be as open and honest as possible. She is an open book and I love that about her. What you see is what you get. Sometimes I need to be a little more like that. Plus she is hilarious!! And just a few bonuses: I would get to live in a huge beatiful house, sit front row at a Lakers game, get to wear and shop for fabulous designer clothes that I can only dream of, get to see first hand, just how hard those Kardashian girls work and hustle! It's cray cray! Plus I would get to meet the rest of the crazy fam that I love! Maybe do a photoshoot... I mean who doesn't dream of being fabulous enough to do a photo shoot. She just lives a completely opposite life from mine down here in small town MS, so I think it would be neat to experience their crazy life and go to Cali!! I've never been there and have always dreamed of it! And I would get to meet Lam Lam.. Is he not the sweetest??

5) What is a big pet peeve of yours?

I CANNOT stand when people's pants are too short... like when men get their slacks tailored and they don't even touch their shoes... O MY GOSH.... makes me want to scream ha! Why would you ever waste a good pair of pants like that?

And I also have a major issue with repetitive noises.. MAJOR issue.. doesn't matter what it is... clock ticking, alarm, jam band music that plays the same thing over and over and over. I couldn't even watch 24, bc of those stupid beeping noises at every commercial break.

6) If I came to visit, what’s the one thing you would make sure we did and the one restaurant we MUST go to?

I would take you to the Mississippi Delta and show you around!! The crops, the blues, the food, the shopping (MS Gift Company and McCarty Pottery would be musts), ride a few backroads... It would be awesome! Then I would take you to eat at Lusco's. My absolute favorite restaurant from my hometown.

7) What is your favorite sport to watch and what teams (college and professional) do you follow?

My favorite sport to watch is football, but I love basketball and baseball as well! I am an avid Mississippi State University and New Orleans Saints follower!!

HAIL STATE

GEAUX SAINTS!!

8) How did you and your husband meet?

Funny story. My first cousin, Kaylis, was a Tri Delta with me at MS State, but left after our sophomore year to go to nursing school. She came back for our very last date party our senior year. Her boyfriend at the time played baseball, so he couldn't attend. She asked one of her best friends from Highschool to go with her. So after the date party, we had "late night" at our house and by the end of the night it was just Kendol (her date) and I sitting on the front porch. We talked until the sun came up... then we proceeded to go to Hardees for breakfast... He did not tell me we were going IN Hardee's... I was barefoot... He made me go in Hardee's barefoot and in my pj's.... He called me two days later and we have been together ever since!! I still can't figure out what he saw in me, bc I had on XXL t-shirt and a pair of VS sweat pants.

9) Have you ever met anyone famous? If so, who’s your favorite that you’ve met, and who is the one person you would die to meet?

I have met 3 famous people. Jerry Rice, Tracy Byrd and Fred Smoot.

I would have to say my favorite is Jerry Rice, duh!! He is only one of the best football players of all times. And he went to MS Valley State University which is practically in my home town. His parents live in Starkville, MS (where MS State is located), so he comes back to visit pretty often. When we met him, he was just at a bar called "The Abbey" hanging out. Super nice!! I'm sure he thought we were cray-zay!!

Think I was a little excited??

 And the one person I would die to meet??? I have a few (I can't pick just one..impossible)... Justin Timberlake, first and foremost (swooooon). Make fun of me all you want to about JT, but I don't care!! I've loved him since Mickey Mouse Club and always will. Yes, I have been to many, many N'SYNC concerts and 2 Justin concerts (during and post college).. P.S. I have lots of old N' SYNC concerts on VHS if anyone else knows all the moves and ever wants to have a dance party... I'm down.. Just sayin.

I mean... what's not to love?

Source: thatgrapejuice.net via Crystal on Pinterest

I would also love to meet "King" George Strait. No explanation needed.

Source: None via Cindy on Pinterest

And I would love to hang out with Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. I believe we would be best friends... for real.

O yes... I was just supposed to name one.. whoopsy!! I guess I will stop :)

10) What is your favorite movie of all times?

8 Seconds... hands down!! I could watch it over and over and over and over... Dirty Dancing is a very very close second.

Source: movies.netflix.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: None via Victoria Laine on Pinterest

Welp... that's it for now!!

Thanks so much for having me Sweet Meg!

Blogger Meet-up Recap :-)

*Tomorrow is the last day to enter my giveaway for the blossom pins, make sure you enter!
Last Sunday was the first Southern California blogger meet-up and I am so happy to have met each of the girls who attended. We met at Tanaka Farms for an afternoon filled with corn mazes and pumpkins, very fallish except it is practically 80 degrees, not fall weather. But that didn't matter to us! And apparently Sunday afternoon is the time and place to take your family and closest friends because it was busy! Fortunately we were able to find each other and get started on the fun.

We started out with the corn maze, and then followed that with looking for our perfect pumpkins!

Lots of pumpkins!

Here is a group shot of us!

Julie, Britt, Me, Joelle, Jacqueline and Sarah

After the farm, Julie hosted us at her oh-so pretty house and delighted us with 

some super yummy cupcakes and mimosas!

 And the lovely Tammy joined us later, thank you Tammy!

Thank you all for coming, looking forward to our next blogger meet-up which sounds like an ornament party, and anyone else in the southern California area, please join us next time!

Scenes from the Weekend (enter my giveaway too!)

It is Tuesday already, only four more work days left until the weekend. And I am looking forward to next Sunday because we are having our southern California blogger meet-up and I can't wait to meet everyone!

*Also don't forget to enter my Stella and Dot giveaway for the bracelet, you will not want to miss the opportunity to win it, it is a thing of beauty with a great cause behind it!

I mentioned more outfit posts, so here is another blazer outfit, although it is warming up again in southern California, and my heart hurts to put away the boots and the sweaters I have been longing to wear.

p.s. I love the rosette necklace I bought on Etsy recently, love it!

and then I bought a new purse, see my obsession I wrote about in a post last week leads me to buy one, just can't help it ;-) What do you think?

I had an incredibly fun but busy three day weekend, from a taco date night on Friday followed by mini cupcakes, then Saturday a hike with my friend Laura and Kip and Kimbia. Then we went to Pasadena for a bit of shopping and hanging out. Church Saturday night and then off to bed. Sunday, I make cinnamon rolls for breakfast of course recipe to follow for everyone :-) After breakfast it was time to go apple picking, which both of us had been looking forward to but ugh we were a little let down this year but we still had a great time hanging out with just each other. Here are a few photos from our apple picking adventure.

After apple picking, it was home for the remainder of the Chargers game and my weekly grocery shopping trip, which I'm sure you all were dying to know. 

Yesterday, I had the day off! so I went for a morning run then a hike with my friend Laura, we are becoming expert hikers. Later in the day, my wonderful friend Shawna came over for dinner, fun and laughter. Oh and throw in yesterday was some lovely just because flowers from my Sean, isn't that the best reason, just because!