Lovely Sounds

I have a strong passion for good music. Of course, "good" is a relative term because what's good to me may not be good to you but I love to share it nonetheless! Though my summer was lacking in adventure is was overflowing with rich tunes. Classic country, bluegrass, worship. I have so many albums and songs that I will listen to and remember as the summer spent in Omaha. Allow me to share my favorites!

Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest

Found out recently that she is coming to Lincoln in October and I am thrilled!

Ellie Holcomb - Magnolia EP

Worship music at its best. Ellie is the wife of Drew Holcomb and a member of Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors but she branched out and made her own album...God bless her for that.

The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow

At first The Civil Wars didn't make a huge impression on me. They were one of those bands that I went back to listen to and sounded completely different (even though I'm certain they were wonderful all along). It is still so weird to think back to the days where I blasted Joy William's pop christian tunes in my room. She has come a long way... also I find it hilarious that band member John Paul White looks EXACTLY like Jack White and Johnny Depp. My absolute favorite is "My Father's Father." Tru & I are going to sing it together!

Patty Griffin - Downtown Church

Specifically the song "Little Fire" sung with Emmylou Harris. It's powerful. Patty Griffin is a music saint. End of story.

Trampled By Turtles - Palomino

Banjo. Enough said. Crappy quality video, but great song.

Sarah Jarosz - Follow Me Down
By far my favorite album of the summer. I have a feeling we can expect great things from this gal.


John Mark McMillan - The Medicine
Another guy who has really grown on me. His album is pure genius and gives me goosebumps every time I listen. It is the definition of worship.


A.A. Bondy - American Hearts
He is coming to Omaha this fall! Would love some concert buddies for this one. It will be a killer show.


Those are just a few...ha! No really, I could go on. Any good tunes out there that I don't know of?
J.

Late Night Snack

For those of you who know me well, you know that breakfast is my favorite meal. The minute I wake up I make a b-line for the kitchen. Scones, biscottis, doughnuts, cereal, cinnamon rolls....sigh. I love them all. Though these are all a great way to start the day, they aren't very healthy. So occasionally I have to throw a healthy meal into the mix. 

Introducing...Cinnamon Whole Oats with Toasted Almonds...and a little brown sugar for my sweet tooth :)

Ingredients:

1 cup whole oats

2 1/2 cups of water

pinch of sea salt

flax oil

maple syrup

1 cup toasted sliced almonds

1. Place oats in a bowl, add enough water to cover and soak for at least an hour. When ready to cook, drain soaking water, rinse and drain again.

2. Place oats in pot with water and salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook until all liquid is absorbed (50 to 55 minutes)

3. Remove pot from heat, fluff with wooden spoon and season to taste with a drizzle of flax oil and maple syrup. Top with toasted almonds and serve. *Optional garnishes include cinnamon, grated apple, or orange zest.

 Burnt the almonds...those suckers "toast" fast!

 

I also enjoyed this lovely beverage thanks to Mrs. Rhodes and her knack for mixing things together. 100% Cranberry Juice (yuck) mixed with raspberry flavored water. Delish!

On a side note, we welcomed a little man into the family by the name of Mason. Coco hates him with all of her little being. 

 

Summer Festivities

Though the majority of our summer is filled with work, we have been trying to squeeze in a few fun activities together. AND I've been able to cross a few things off of my summer goals list!

1. Visit the Omaha Farmer's Market

2. Visit the Lincoln Farmer's Market

3. Jazz on the Green

4. Miletta Vista Winery

5. Slattery Vintage Estates

6. Holy Family Shrine

7. Kayak down the Mighty River Platte

8. Roca Berry Farm

9. Arbor Farm

We visited the beautiful Slattery Vintage Estates a couple weeks ago. Nebraska's best getaway, seriously. Because of a strong storm, we weren't able to stay in the tent but it was fun anyway. We also went to Jazz on the Green for the first time. SO fun. Everyone needs to go at least once. We went by ourselves but there were tons of groups there gathered around picnic baskets (and wine) just enjoying eachother. And finally, I made cupcakes for a bridal shower that my sister-in-law was hosting. I was so thankful for the opportunity and I had a great time trying out my new cupcake tier and plates. Aren't they cute!? Maybe I'm a little biased :)

 Wine in a box. Not very good. But cute!

Our Humble Abode

We have been living in our apartment for three months now, but I am just starting to dress it up and make it feel like it's ours. Decorating on a budget isn't fun but thankfully I had some wedding decorations leftover! It's amazing how a few little things around the house will automatically add character. 

 (Wooden frame with scrapbook paper & dyed newspaper)

 (Foot-rest-turned-reading-nook)

 (My personal favorite spot in the apartment)

 (Wooden tray from Hobby Lobby)

  (Finally finished our "bulletin board")

It's fun to get creative and use what you already have to decorate. Don't get me wrong I can't wait to do some real decorating one day and I think I'll appreciate it a lot more now. 

Cheers, J.

The Challenge of Giving Thanks

Oh boy. It has been a very tough couple of weeks at the Faeh household. 

Both of our jobs have completely drained us and we feel like we are at the end of our rope. Ideally we would like to leave Omaha, but that plan has been more difficult than we thought. When we first started having trouble in Omaha, I was at ease because I knew we would spend a lot of time in prayer and seeking God's will. However, I didn't take into account that MY will may not be God's will. (That's a tough pill to swallow!) 

It has been so hard to focus on the good things in our life and I have fallen into the deep hole of discontent. I started to think about eucharisteo. "Giving thanks." The LAST thing I wanted to do while I was pouting all week was give thanks! You see, it's so easy to give thanks when things are going well! When you're having a good day and the birds are chirping and the sun is out. But I wasn't feeling happy, I wasn't feeling thankful, I was downright mad that things weren't going my way! And then I realized... the whole point of practicing eucharisteo is to train yourself to be able to focus on what you do have no matter what the circumstance. I've said it once and I'll say it again (and again...and again) I am not deserving of a single joy I have in this life and I tend to forget that often. God has blessed me with so many great things and that's what I need to be focusing on in a time like this.

So. I got my notepad. I grumbled around the house looking for a pen. And I began to give thanks.

119. Our tears

120. Our vulnerability

121. Breakdowns

122. Chocolate covered strawberries

124. Snuggly coco

125. His strength

126. Candlelight

If you have a list, I'd love to discuss the joys & struggles you're finding along the way.

Cheers, J.

Scone Addict Pt. 2

Any normal person would stop at one batch of scones, but that buttermilk carton was still pretty full. What's a gal to do!? I made cinnamon scones, too. Yum! I should have a scone party...

You can find this recipe here.

Any other good recipes I should be trying?

Scone Addict Pt. 1

I was cleaning out my fridge this weekend and noticed that I had a full carton of buttermilk that was going to expire in a week. I simply couldn't let it go to waste so I decided to make one of my favorite breakfast foods...scones! There is nothing better than a cup of jo (decaf for me) and a scone in the morning. I had been wanting to try this Maple Pecan Scone recipe from the Food Network magazine so this was the perfect chance. They were very easy to make!

You can find the recipe here!