Fresh Salsa...

...the perfect snack on a lovely autumn day.

A lovely array of colors...

...mixed with a fresh-from-the-garden flavor and the crunch of tortilla chips.

And I'll have to say, it's pretty photogenic too!

Now that I have you craving fresh, homemade salsa, I should probably give you the recipe, right? Not only does it look (and taste!) delicious, it's also really easy to make!

- Fresh Salsa -

4 cups tomatoes (cubed)

2 cloves garlic (pressed)

1 onion (chopped)

1 green pepper (chopped)

1 tsp cilantro

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp vinegar

1 T taco seasoning or cumin and paprika

Mix everything together in a large bowl, adding more or less of ingredients to suit taste. 

If you want, you can then pulse it in a food chopper to desired consistency.

Then, pull out a bag of tortilla chips and enjoy!!

Great is His love

"For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth."

Psalms 57:10-11

Simply adorable

Several weeks ago we went to see our cousins, and I just happened to have my camera along. As usual, I enjoyed snapping photos of just about everything...but found one of my favorite subjects to be my baby cousin.

This photo is now one of my new favorites, but I can't decided if I like it better in sepia or black and white. Which is your favorite?

Babies just happen to be extremely adorable...

What's your favorite thing to photograph?

Attitude of Gratitude

It's easy to focus on the things that I'm not content about.

Someone has something that is "bigger and better" than me. 

It's raining when I want it to be sunny.

Plans fail. 

People disappoint. 

It's not too hard to make a long list of complaints and then dwell on those throughout the day. We even go so far as to turn around and grumble about the very blessings God has given us.

But how often do we go through life with an attitude of gratitude? Living with the "I wish this...I wish that..." mindset is just going to make our life miserable. If asked what I was thankful for, you may hear, "God, family, Bible, house, food, etc"...you know, the same stuff that everyone says. And its true, I AM thankful for those things, but God often places in our day other little blessings that we overlook. Little things that we are too busy to notice. Things that we forget to thank God for...

My littlest sister running up to me and informing the that she's Jessie the cowgirl (from Toy Story) and that she's going to ride on me because I'm Bulls-eye her horse - she won't be little forever...

Cool breezes signaling that autumn is near...

My dad and sister doing chores for me if I'm gone for the evening...

Sisters to laugh with...

Getting an encouraging note from a friend...

The warm sunshine on a beautiful Summer (or Fall) day...

The rain which nourishes the plants...

If I really start looking, there are so many little blessings in each day! One suggestion that I heard from someone was to start a gratitude journal and record the blessings that God places in your path, both large and small, and then to keep that as a reminder of how blessed we truly are.

Now here's the hard part for me. When things don't go the way that I planned, sometimes it's easy to forget that God has a purpose in it. It's easy to be thankful and praise God when life is "easy" and things are going according to plan, but what about when hopes are shattered or everything seems to be turned upside-down? Can we lift our hands in praise amidst the storm? In our walks with the Lord it's important to learn to praise and thank Him not only when things are going "our way", but also when things are hard. We have to remember that He is in control over everything, and that He will use it for His glory. It's often the storms that God uses to draw us closer to Himself, so let's praise and thank Him even if the rain is falling.

Whether the sun is shining or the road is difficult, let's seek to live life with an attitude of gratitude, thanking the Lord for all that He has done, all that He is doing, and all of those little blessings that He gives us.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Psalm 107:1 

Photo challenge at "A Ray of Sunshine"

This week I'm linking up for a photo challenge at "A Ray of Sunshine", the theme for this challenge being Nature.

Unending love

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Ephesians 3:17-19

Of horses and hairpins

Ah. A quiet moment. Sometimes it's easy to take those moments for granted, but after a month that has been full of activity it's nice to sit down and relax. I just realized that I haven't posted since July...where has the time gone? Since my last post a lot has happened around here, the biggest event being the state Cowgirl Queen contest which took place last Friday, August 12. Since that has definitely been a highlight of this month, I thought I'd share some of the memories from that day...

{all photos taken by my friend Rachel}

 Our day at the fairgrounds started at about 10:30am (the show wasn't until about 7:30pm) , and it was all craziness from there! I was glad to have my parents, 2 of my sisters, and a couple of friends along to help out...honestly, there is no way I could have done it without them!!

It's amazing how many little details need to be taken care of before you enter the show ring!

Want to guess how much hairspray it took to keep those curls in place??
{many thanks to my friends for doing my hair!}

One minor detail that I would have overlooked had someone not pointed it out was the matter of keeping the hat on. Really the only way to keep a western hat securely on is to stick long hairpins between the brim of your hat and into your hair. I really wasn't looking forward to it because I had several people tell me that, "If it doesn't hurt, it's not on tight enough." Let's just say that, yes, my hat was definitely on tight enough and I was more than glad to take it off when the contest was over!!

  

Though we didn't advance to the final round, I really enjoyed the experience as a whole. There were around 90 young ladies competing in the Sr. division, so I wasn't expecting to place. I'm quite pleased with how Flash did for me, and I had a lot of fun doing it. I'm so glad that God gave me this opportunity, and my prayer is that all glory goes to Him alone!

If you want to see a video of the Sr. Cowgirl Queen contest, you can check it out HERE 

(it's not full length, just bits and pieces of it)

. . . . .

I hope to start posting a little more, if my schedule allows. When life is busy blogging just doesn't make top of the priority list! I don't want it to become something that I feel I "have" to do...this is just an outlet for my photographs, daily life, life lessons, as well as a few other things. Even though I haven't been posting much as of late, I'd still love for you to tag along :)

I hope that you have had a wonderful summer so far!

{a few of} my favorite things

Leah at The Narrow Path tagged me. I know that several people have tagged me earlier on this year, and I'm sorry that I never got around to it. Anyways, I had a little bit of time so I thought it would be fun to do this one...

1. Favorite sport: Does horseback riding count?

2. A good name for a dog: Well, it kind of depends on the breed and color of the dog, but one dog name that I like is Patches.

3. Favorite animal: Most definitely horses. You would have never guessed that...right?

4. Favorite subject in school: Hmm...I like almost all of them, but if I have to choose a favorite it would probably be History or Math.

5. Favorite drink: Fruit smoothies or Mochas (after water, of course)

6. Last song you heard: "Do Everything" by Steven Curtis Chapman - this song is one of my new favorites.

7. Do you like to make people laugh?: Yes!

8. Favorite color: I like all of the colors, but some of my favorite color combinations are lime green or aqua blue with brown.

9. Favorite hobby: I really, really enjoy photography, but I'd have to say that horse related activities still top that.

10. School grade you are in: I'll be in 11th grade this upcoming school year.

And now to pass this tag on to a few other bloggers...

Shannon at A Bright Light In a Dark World

Crista Moriah at Uniquely Fashioned for His Glory
Farmgirl at A Simple Farmgirl

Bethany Joy at Rejoice Evermore 

Kelsie-Anne at Kelsie's Wonderful Adventures

(I'm sure that these girls would love it if you stop by their blogs for a visit!)

Silhouettes {photo challenge at Allie Photography}

This week I'm participating in the photo challenge at Allie Photography. 

The theme for this week is silhouettes...

Aren't sunsets so beautiful? God's creation is truly amazing!

Sowing seeds of sunshine

It's amazing how little things can make someone's day.

Maybe it's an encouraging note, a thank-you card, taking the time to talk to someone, or even a smile. Everyone likes to feel special and appreciated, and it's a blessing when someone goes out of their way in order to do something that will make our day. But my question for you is, how often do we seek to do the same for others?

An area that God has been laying on my heart is sending thank you notes. I always enjoy it when someone sends me a note or letter, but I find rarely make the time to do the same for others. As I sat down at my desk today, I noticed a piece of paper laying there that said "Send thank you notes to...". Underneath was a list of people who I needed to send thank you notes to. Some had been on that list for a few months, others just a week or so, and I can think of a few more that should be added.

Maybe you have the same problem as me. If so, here's a challenge to both you and myself. Take some time in the next week to sit down and make a list of people who you need to write thank you's to, and then do it. Maybe you only have time to write one or two a day, but try to get caught up. It's easy to wonder if it'll even matter, but who knows but that God will use it to brighten that person's day and bring a smile to their face.

Even if you are good at sending thank you's, but I'd still encourage you to look for ways to put a smile on someone's face. Maybe it's an encouraging note, spending quality time with someone, or helping out with a project. Even something as simple as a smile can make someone's day.

Let's seek to be a blessing to those around us by doing the little things that bring sunshine to their day. Yes, it may be hard or "inconvenient" to find time amidst busy schedules, but those few minutes that you take to write a note, give some encouragement, or help out could make someone's day a whole lot brighter.

The Lord is faithful

Cowgirl Queen Contest {and pre-fair show}

 It was a very long day...

It was a very warm day...

It was a very tiring day...

But sometimes it's those long, hot, and tiring days that turn out to be some of the most memorable days!

 Friday (July 1st) evening was the Cowgirl Queen contest and Pre-Fair show, both of which I participated in. But instead of giving you a long, boring description, let me tell you the events of the day in pictures...that's always more interesting, right?


{most photos taken by my sister Hannah and friend Alexandra...thanks girls!}

. . . . .

I was up at a fairly good time, and got right into getting Flash ready to go. She had her bath on Friday night, so really all that needed to be done with her was band her mane (a 2 hour job) and put on hoof black.

My friend came over early afternoon to help me with my hair and makeup. Honestly, I don't wear much makeup other than occasional cover-up and some mascara, but since it was a "special" event we did the whole deal.

The cowgirl queen contest started at 5:00pm, so my intention was to get there by 3:30, or at latest 4:00. Sounds easy enough...but we didn't get there until 4:10. I started getting a little stressed out when they announced that the Sr. Queen contestants (all two of us...) needed to be down at the gate in 5 minutes, and I didn't even quite have my whole outfit on, let alone have Flash warmed up!

First, we had to preform a horsemanship pattern. It wasn't too hard...extended jog, stop, 360 pivot, jog, left lead canter, stop, back, and then answer a question from the judge. Even though it was an easier pattern, I still managed to mess up a little bit :)

After the pattern we had rail work...basically a Western Pleasure class, but the focus was more on our horsemanship than the horse. I was so proud of Flash when she took her right lead (we've been having problems with that this year...)!!!!!

Lastly, we got to do the Cowgirl Queen salute...my favorite part!!

As I've been practicing over the past month or two, I decided that I would give this contest my best effort and leave the results up to God.  But even though I knew that God was in control, there was that little part of me that started to wonder if my best would be good enough.

When they finally announced the 2011 Sr. Cowgirl Queen, I was quite excited to hear that I had won! The glory goes to the Lord!

I want to note that even though I won this contest, please do not think that I have wonderful horsemanship and a perfectly trained horse...there were only two of us showing and it was pretty close. In reality, I hardly show at all and my horse is far from the "pleasure type" (though she is a wonderful horse!!). Both of us have a lot to learn, and I hope to keep learning as long as I possibly can!!

As Sr. Cowgirl Queen I will be competing at the State level in August. I usually only show my horse 2-3 times a year (mainly at 4-H related shows) and that is the extent of my showing experience. Competing at State will be a huge learning curve for me as I've never competed in a show that big! The State show isn't just 4-H queens, there are also many queens from saddle clubs and Iowa horse breed associations. As with Friday's competition - I'm going to give it my absolute best and leave the results in God's hands. I'll keep you updated on the State show as it gets closer to that time, but for now I'm going to share a few more pictures from the rest of the pre-fair show...

:: My little sisters doing the cowgirl queen salute ::

:: Halter class - even though Flash doesn't have perfect conformation, it's still a good learning experience ::

:: Trail class - let's just say that we have a lot that we need to work on in the two weeks left before fair ::

All in all it was a good day. Even though we didn't win any of our classes (besides Cowgirl Queen) I still had fun and got a good idea of what I need to work on before Fair. Sorry for rambling on about all this horse related stuff over the past few weeks...I know that some of you may not be horse crazy like me and I'll be back to posting some not-quite-so-horsey posts soon :)

Captured memories

There aren't going to be very many words with this post - just a lot of photos! I've been taking tons of pictures with my new camera, but I haven't shared many of them with you. So here's a bunch of random photos to make up for my lack of them...

:: peaceful ::

:: reflections ::

:: i love the way her eyes sparkle ::

:: she's such a lil' cutie ::

:: the fresh scent of spring ::

:: i love the color in old brick walls ::

:: my lil' Jessie the cowgirl ::
(her name isn't Jessie, but she loves to pretend that she's Jessie the cowgirl from Toy Story)

:: bokeh ::

:: s'mores! ::

:: art ::