Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Cook This!

Swimsuit season is almost here so it's time to get my tummy, thighs, and butt in gear!
The Johnson's are trying to get in shape and eat healthy! I will be honest with ya'll! The Hubs and I do not have the best eating habits in the world. I mean we could seriously live off of cheese dip(or at least I could). Well since its almost my most dreaded time of the year, we are trying to eat better. This means I have to take a break from cooking Paula Deen's recipes and find some lighter options! Soooo I have been on the search for good healthy recipes..... Found one! The other night we made chicken tacos. These suckers were easy to make, yummy, and low calorie! We hit the trifecta! It would be rude of me not to share this easy recipe! So here it is...enjoy!

Light Chicken Tacos

You'll Need:
8 corn tortillas
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
(about three-fourths of a store bought chicken)
1 1/2 cups bottled salsa verde
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 medium onion, minced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes, quartered
That is all! :)

How to Make It:
-Heat the tortillas in a large skillet or saute pan until lightly toasted. Combine the chicken with the salsa in a large mixing bowl, then divide evenly among the tortillas. Top with feta, onion, and cilantro. Squeeze a little lime juice over each serving. You can eat these open faced or folded like a taco whatever you prefer!

Easy! Easy! Easy! 

Makes 4 servings   345 calories pers serving (2 tacos)  

* I chose not to put onions or cilantro on my serving and still thought they were great!


Sorry I do not have a picture to post. I completely forgot to take one! I will do better next time!!
Love,
 Allison

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Our Cross To Bear
























Awesome!! We complain about the cross we bear but don't realize it is preparing us for the dip in the road that God can see and we can't.


Whatever your cross, whatever your pain,
there will always be sunshine, after the rain....
Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall;
But God's always ready, to answer your call.....
He knows every heartache, sees every tear,
a word from His lips, can calm every fear...
Your sorrows may linger, throughout the night,
But suddenly vanish, dawn's early light...
The Savior is waiting, somewhere above,
to give you His grace, and send you His love....
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
IN GOD WE TRUST!

My friend Ashley emailed me this and I just had to share!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Weekly Scripture

A wise mans's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
    Proverbs 16:23-24

A few weeks ago I talked about the love of God and how we show our love for him by the way we love his children. This scripture goes right along with that. When you love someone you should speak to them and of them using kind, encouraging words. You should say things that make them feel good and feel loved! Sadly, at times in my life I have been guilty of doing the opposite. I have said negative things about another person because they hurt me, or my friends/family, or because they were doing something I didnt like. Since I am human with human emotions it is not always easy to say the right thing or to keep hurtful words out of my mouth, but I'm going to try my hardest! I think Thumper (the rabbit from Bambi) said it best when he said, "if you can't say something nice, then don't saying anything at all!"  Good idea!

I pray that I can take this scripture to heart! That the words I choose to use will be encouraging and uplifting to those around me. I pray that people will see my love for the Lord through my actions as well as my words!

Have a Happy Monday!
Love,
Allison

Friday, March 25, 2011

Take a look, it's in a book!

Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book.  ~Author Unknown
I don't know about you, but I LOVE to read!! I love getting lost in a good book and becoming so immersed in the story that you feel all of the emotions of the book (Does that make sense?). Anyways, there are so many books and authors out there that I love, but I want to introduce you to my absolute Favorite  author.

Meet Karen White


Praise for the Novels of Karen White     
                                                                                                     
"Brilliant and engrossing... a rare gem... exquisitely told, rich in descriptions, and filled with multifaceted characters."                                                                                                                                     
- The Book Connection                                                                                                     
                                                                                   
" An evocative setting, dark family secrets, and a story that will keep you reading late into the night."
-Diane Chamberlain, Award-Winning Author of Breaking the Silence                             

"A joy to read"                                                                                                                                
-The Best Reviews                                                                                                                         

Karen is a fabulous southern author from Georgia. I have read every single one of her books and absolutely loved every single one of them! I could go on and on about how much I love her books, but I won't do that. However, I am going to talk about the last two books of hers that I read, Falling Home and Pieces of the Heart. I took these two books with me on our trip to Antigua last week. I actually started and finished Falling Home on the plane ride to Antigua. It was such a good book and I was so into the story that I cried three times on the plane....SO EMBARRASSING!! When I finished I turned to my husband and said, " I hope they make this into a movie." If I say this about a book you know that I loved it! So far, I have said it about everyone of Karen White's books! :) 

Here is a little bit about Falling Home
FALLING HOME
Cassie Madison, estranged from her sister, returns home to be with her dying father, intending to leave the sleepy Georgia town immediately after his funeral. Unexpectedly, she inherits the family home. Now she has to stay in Walton until it sells...which happens to be just long enough for her to learn how the power of family, memories and a former love can lead to the most amazing discoveries.

Reviews

**Editor's Pick** Doubleday Book Club
"Warmly southern and deeply moving."
New York Times bestselling author Deborah Smith

"Karen White hits all the right notes with this powerful and moving family drama. FALLING HOME is a touching, sad, joyful and rewarding read."
RT BookReviews

"Richly engrossing, FALLING HOME is a brilliant work of art."
Fresh Fiction

See! I'm not the only one who loved it. Go read it!

Pieces of the Heart was my beach read. The only bad thing about it was I finished it in two days. Luckily, I brought some back up books! This was such a sweet book! I really thought I had it all figured out, but there was a good twist towards the end that I somehow didnt see coming! Definitely check this one out!

Pieces of the Heart

Tension between Caroline Collier and her mother still simmers sixteen years after the death of Caroline’s beloved brother. Escaping to the family’s lake house in the North Carolina mountains becomes a turning point for both women in this novel about reconciliation, old secrets, and discovering love in the hidden places of the heart.

Reviews

"Heartwarming and intense... a tale that resonates with the meaning of unconditional love."
-Romantic Times

" A terrific insightful character study."

Seriously! Go get one of these or one of the other great books by Karen White. I promise you will fall in love!

New American Library Titles
           By Karen White

On Folly Beach
The Lost Hours
The Memory of Water
Learning to Breathe
Pieces of the Heart
The Color of Light

The Tradd Street Series- LOVE this series!!!!
The House on Tradd Street
The Girl on Legare Street

*Also, look for Karen's new book The Beach Trees hitting stores this May.












Happy Friday!  
           Love,
    Allison                                                   

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Antigua

So the hubs and I went on a little trip to Antigua. It was amazing! The island was absolutely beautiful!!! While on this fabulous trip we...
Ate ALOT of good food
Read some good books
Got a Suntan
Got a Sunburn
Enjoyed fruity drinks
Played in the ocean
Made friends with a sweet Canadian couple
Went snorkeling
Enjoyed a couples massage
Saw beautiful sunsets
Snuggled on hammocks
Drank from coconuts
Partied at a local festival
Spent quality time with each other
And had a BLAST!!!!!!




























Monday, March 14, 2011

Weekly Scripture

Every Monday I pick out a new scripture to focus on during my week. I write it down on a card and put it on my mirror so I can look at it while I'm getting ready. I like to think about the meaning of the scripture and how it applies to my week or to my everyday life. This week I have chosen John 13:35.

Your love to one another will prove to the world you are my disciples.

 I feel like alot of times our love for another is conditional. Sometimes we love other people, or we say we love other people, based on feelings and emotions that can change from one moment to the next. God's love for us is not like that, it is UNCONDITIONAL! How great is that!?!? God is Love! He doesn't just love us because we're lovable or because we make Him feel good; He loves us because He is love. He created us to have a loving relationship with Him, and He sacrificed His own Son to restore that relationship. I want to love God's children as He has asked me to do. I want people to be able to see how great His love is by how I love and treat the people around me. This is something I pray about daily. I know that I am not perfect, but God loves me regardless and I am so thankful for that!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

After a 10 month hiatus...

I'm Baaack! I know you all have been losing sleep over my lack of blogging. So prepare to sleep well from here on out because I'm rejoining the blog world...WOO HOOO! :)

My blog is currently under construction so I'm sorry for the mess around here. It will take me some time to get this place looking like I want it so bear with me as I try out new things and make a few changes.

Since I talked to you last Dusty and I took a skip down the aisle. We were married on October 10, 2010 and it really and truly was a PERFECT day! We have now been happily married for a whole five months. Which of course makes us a wise old married couple! I kid!! We are still learning how to be a husband and a wife and are loving every minute of it!! From here on out I am going to try and document all of our adventures in life, so stay tuned...

Lots of Love,
Allison