4 Years and a Giveaway!

Can you believe I've been blogging 4 years now.
It seems like just yesterday I published my first post.

I am so excited about today...
because I am hosting my very first giveaway!

I wanted to say thank you to all my readers
who have been following my blog over the last years
and those who are recently new followers.
I have so enjoyed getting to know you by your comments and emails.
And the daily encouragement to keep up blogging from friends has kept me going.

SO....

I wanted to giveaway something to a lucky reader!

I am giving away the It's A Wrap bracelet from Premier Designs Jewelry!
Antique matte brass plated, genuine leather, valued at $39...
I have this bracelet myself and seriously wear it all the time.
And since wrap bracelets are still going strong in the fashion trend world...
I would love to give a lucky winner one of their own.

Here is what you do...
You can enter the giveaway by following the raffle generator below
(and for those with no blog, twitter, or pinterest...
simply click on the easy entry for fans of this blog post
and you can enter that way).
You have a chance to enter 6 times!

Best wishes and I'll announce the winner next Friday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Current Crush - Friendship Bracelets

And so my obsession with jewelry continues.

I am totally crushing on these friendship bracelets by Astley Clark.
Wouldn't they be so cute worn either just by themselves or stacking a few together!

And speaking of jewelry...
in honor of my 4 year blogging anniversary,
I am hosting my first ever GIVEAWAY right here on Wuthering Iris!

TOMORROW!!

And what am I giving away?
Well, lets just say I'm taking advantage of my jewelry obsession and using it for your benefit!
So you might want to check back with me tomorrow.

Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Remember when I mentioned that I went cherry picking?...

Well, I made something delicious with those cherries!

I am on a huge ice cream kick right now.

So when I had pounds of cherries just sitting in my fridge, waiting to be devoured,

I new I had to create a yummy ice cream recipe with them.

And boy, is it delicious!

Sweet Cherry Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Chunks....

I'm in heaven with each bowl.

Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/8 cup sugar

3 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

1 pound cherries

1/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped into pieces

1. Blend milk, sugar, cream, vanilla, and 8 cherries (pitted) until a smooth mixture forms.

2. Pour into an electric ice cream maker and make according to the ice cream makers directions.

3. While ice cream is churning, pit and chop about a cup of cherries.

4. When ice cream is just about done, add the chocolate chunks and cherry chunks. Churn for a few more seconds, so that the chunks are well incorporated.

5. Transfer into a plastic bowl and cover. Freeze an additional 30 minutes.

6. Enjoy!

Color Palette - Summer Poppies

Summer just wouldn't be the same
without the bounty of summer poppies
growing everywhere.
Mine grow beautifully in my garden
(as long as the chickens don't trample them...
I swear, those chickens can do some major damage to my plants).
And in the fall, I take all the leftover poppy pods,
open them up, and scatter the seeds
wherever I can find an open plot of dirt.

I am super inspired by the color of these poppies this week.

My Week in Instagrams

 

Guess what I did yesterday!

I was able to cross another "summer to-do" off my list... I went cherry picking!

Each summer the cherries are so abundant here in Montana

that farms let you take a pail and fill it to your hearts desire (and it's only $1 a pound!).

I didn't buy a lot, only 4lbs, but that's enough for us to enjoy as we relax the summer away.

Have a great weekend!

Peacock Plume

Since were on the topic of jewelry and fashion

and everything wonderful about those two things,

I have to ask...

Have you hear of Peacock Plume?

If not, you must go check it out right now!

 Seriously, click on over and see...

I'll wait.

Don't they have the most fun and budget friendly

jewelry and accessories!
These are just a few of my favorites.

Current Crush - Roaring Statement Necklaces

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

After a few days of camping...

and a few days of recouping after camping,

I am back on the blogging train.

I couldn't miss out on another episode of Current Crush!

(Thanks again Danielle, Kristen, & Jessie)

This week I just can't get enough of the

Roaring Twenties inspired Statement Necklaces...

I am seriously obsessed.

Maybe because it makes me more and more excited

for this movie to be released!

Nevertheless...

I'm loving these necklaces and this trend.

My Week in Instagrams

 

I hope you all have a wonderfully relaxing weekend.

Today I am doing some major house cleaning.

We said goodby today to a church team that was visiting the campus here.

When church teams are here, I usually have no time whatsoever

to do anything else except bake delicious treats/snacks for them.

So today is catch-up day on some house work.

But tomorrow....

We are going camping!

I'm so excited!

Have a great weekend.

Girl Behind the Blog - Accomplish

 

Here is another video blog for you guys!

I hope you like them as much as I like making them.

This week I linked up with Ashley and Lindsey

to talk about what I would like to accomplish...

hopefully by the end of the year.

And on a side note... when I say in the video

"cook everything in my pantry"

I do not mean cook it all at once and eat it.

I mean that I am officially grounded when it comes to

buying new and unique food items

until all my current pantry items have been used.

Just wanted to clarify that.

Bavarian Raspberry Tart

After 3 years of watching and waiting,

our raspberry bush is finally producing the most beautifully red raspberries!

I can't wait to start making tons of raspberry jam.

But until then, I'm enjoying my daily walk to the garden

to eat them fresh off the vine...

Or to use as a fresh topping on desserts.

I made this delicious Bavarian Raspberry Tart today

which was perfect in the summer heat.

Bavarian Raspberry Tart

1 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup melted butter

3 tbsp sugar

2 cups Bavarian Cream

Fresh Raspberries

1. To make the graham cracker crush, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter together. Then press into a tart pan (or any pan). Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes.

2. Here is a great Bavarian Cream recipe that is perfect dolloped on top of the tart shell.

3. Top with fresh raspberries and chill for about 30 minutes. 

4. Enjoy!

July Birchbox

I swear, I fall in love with Birchbox a little more each month.

Not only for the surprise of what my box will include,

but it seems that they know exactly what I need at the exact moment.

This month my little treasures were...

1. Ada Bronzer.

The color is great and even has a bit of sparkle to it.

I'm normally not a sparkly makeup person, but I think it will be great for the evening.

2. Hello Perfume by Harvey Prince.

The smell is very earthy with hints of sandalwood and myrrh,

yet very feminine at the same time.

3. High-Gloss Hair Masque.

Approaching the end of summer my hair is always in need of some desperate attention.

This masque leaves my hair super silky soft. LOVE IT!

4. Stila Lip Glaze.

I pretty much did a happy dance with I saw this in my box.

I love anything Stila and this color is so pretty.

Plus...It's was a full sized gift!

And on top of those,

my Birchbox included a Larabar and a set of neon earbuds.

I can't wait for next month's to arrive!!

What was in your Birchbox?

Sunday Morning Breakfast

Good Morning Everyone!

What are you plans today? Resting and Relaxing? Or Working?

I have a combo of both on my plate today.

I do plan on having some relax time...

but we have another church team visiting our campus this week.

So that means more baking.

Like baking enough brownies for 130 people tonight.

Even though I'll be baking a ton tonight,

I still was in the mood for something sweet this morning for breakfast.

So Huckleberry Scones with Cream satisfied me. 

Have a great Sunday!

My Week in Instagrams

I'm back from California.

Thank you for all your lovely comments and prayers on the death of my grandfather.

The trip turned out to be very good, lots of time with family and friends

to do some of the things that we love...

Like make a trip to In-n-Out!

Homemade Pizza Night with the nephews.

I finally got to visit my dear friend Kelly

at her San Francisco home.

And she took me to an amazing restaurant for dinner

where they served us this...

Upon returning home, I was greeted by my Birchbox.

And I proudly displayed my new Anthropologie purchases

(I had to go shopping in Cali!)

California Vacation

Looks like I will be taking a little vacation after all!

Sadly my grandpa (or Poppy as we liked to call him) passed away.

So today, I will be heading to California to be with family for the next week.

Pray for safe travels and a smooth plane ride.

Current Crush - Mediterranean

1, 2, 3, 4

I'm linking up with Framed Frosting and her co-host Baxtron{Life}

for another Current Crush Thursday.

This week I am in desperate need of another vacation... seriously desperate.

With all the baking, dessert making, and iced coffee brewing...

I can't wait to relax in two days.

Dream with me for a second... I'm thinking the Mediterranean.

That would be a lovely vacation destination.

The sun, the beach, the fresh food.

I only wish it was reality. 

So here are a few things I am loving at the moment

that I find are Mediterranean inspired!

 

Huckleberry German Pancake

I love German Pancakes.

I love Huckleberries.

So what would be better than a German Pancake

with Huckleberries baked into the center!

Maybe dizzling Huckleberry Syrup over the top... that was better.

But even if you can't get your hands on Huckleberry Syrup,

or you don't want to spend the money on pricy Huckleberries,

you can substitute with Blueberries,

which would be equally amazing in this recipe.

Enjoy! 

Huckleberry German Pancake   

1/6 cup sugar

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

3 large eggs 

2/3 cup milk

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup huckleberries

1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1. Put skillet on middle rack of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.

2. Beat eggs with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and frothy, then beat in milk, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and continue to beat until smooth, about 1 minute more (batter will be thin).

3. Add butter to hot skillet and melt in oven, swirling to coat. Add batter to the skillet, topping with the huckleberries and immediately return skillet to oven. Bake until puffed and golden-brown, 18 to 20 minutes.

4. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Robert Doisneau

It is no secret that I love photography.

And one of the types of photography that I love and truly admire is Photojournalism.

There is just something about taking a photo in mid-action

and having it come out picture perfect.

And there is such a story behind each photo.

Oh, I love it so much.

One of the "fathers" of photojournalism is Robert Doisneau (1912-1994).

Isn't his photos so hauntingly amazing.

Elie Saab Fall Couture 2012

Have you ever had that experience where you see a dress
and instantly your breath is taken away.

Yeah, I just had that experience.

This dress literally takes my breath away. 

If you have never seen the couture creations by Elie Saab,
then click on over to this blog and gasp along with me
at every single beautiful creation. 

Sunday Morning Breakfast

My big week starts today...

which means I needed a good protein kick for breakfast.

Some fellow co-workers/friends and I are hosting a church team of 110,

who have come to YWAM for a week to serve in missions along side us. 

What that means for me, is that I have A LOT of baking/snack/dessert making to do.

So if you follow me on Instagram, then you'll probably be seeing a lot of me cooking.

Wish me luck...

I have about 150 brownies to bake by 6pm.

Have a great Sunday!

 

My Week in Instagrams

What are you plans for this weekend?

Micah and I plan on going sailing again...

and again and again and again.

 Isn't summer wonderful!

We are also helping host a Church team that is coming to visit for a week.

Remember all those cookies I mentioned I was making?

Well, they will all be devoured by the end of next week.

Have a great weekend!