Exploring

How much are you loving this amazing weather?  Do you remember when you were a kid and when you got home from school in the springtime and the first thing you did was to run inside and change into your play clothes?  There is nothing better than coming home from a long day at work, putting on my "play clothes" and going for a walk with my husband.  We have been taking full advantage of the parks and walking areas in the downtown area that we live in.  We are just wondering why it took us so long to discover them in the first place!

Last week, we went for a several mile walk almost afternoon.  The time change has been wonderful, because I still have several hours of daylight when I finally get home.  A friend told me about some walking trails down from our house a while back and so we set out to see what it was all about!

Most of the trail is paved and it goes by this awesome little dog park.  Daniel and I like to stop and watch the pups play.  We also contemplate the fact that we are possibly the only people in our town that do not have a dog!  We saw this couple with two Great Danes and they were possible the largest dogs I have ever seen!  They were up to my chest!  

Not sure I could handle that big of a canine.

Skipping rocks!

 Daniel taught me the art of rock skipping.  Its a science I swear!  

I tried it once with success, failed the second time around and decided to leave it there.  

At least I was batting .500 at that point.

Hershey Kiss anyone?

 We had so much fun on our walks.  It's what I look forward too each day that I come home and Daniel does not have to work.  Looking forward to summertime now!  

Have a GREAT WEEK!  26 days left of my internship!  15 days until my unit is due!

I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN

Can I Have S'mores?

I've never had a s'more.  Yes its sad, but true.  Well, true until around 9 o'clock last night when Mr. Pennington hooked me up an awesome toaster oven version of the delicious campfire treat.  

It was amazing.  

How did I live 24 years without this delicious treat in my life?

It's Monday... which means back to work again.  I hope you all have a fantastic week and I personally am looking forward to the phenomenal weather forecast this week... can we say high of 75??  Mr. P and I are heading out for a little walk/exploring time this afternoon, so I'll be sure to snap some fun shots for tomorrow.  Exploring your new hometown is so much fun! 

Lady Antebellum CD= $0.25

I was checking out The Krazy Coupon Lady today and saw this rockin' deal.

Lady Antebellum's "Own The Night" CD for $0.25!

Twenty-five cents!!! Can you believe that deal???

I'm not sure how long this deal is on for, so click here to get your copy.

Happy Friday!

Cheesy Beef and Noodle Casserole

I'm not overly set on the name of this recipe, but its a pretty accurate description of the meal.  A few weeks ago when I made Farmhouse Muffins I had a large batch of spaghetti sauce leftover intentionally so I could make spaghetti casserole the next night.  Well the next night rolled around and for some reason I was not feeling spaghetti noodles or we didn't have any one so I threw in a little rotini and changed up the casserole.  It turned out amazing!  You truly cannot beat homemade spaghetti sauce, noodles of any kind, and CHEESE!!  Yummy!

I can't take credit for my spaghetti sauce, but I sure will give it to my mom.  She makes making spaghetti sauce look like and art and you will not be disappointed if you try this.  I use this sauce for pretty much everything: spaghetti, chili, sloppy joe's, farmhouse muffins, etc.  The only thing that changes from recipe to recipe is the amount of liquid... no one wants runny sloppy joe's :(


Mom's Famous Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb. ground beef (add salt and pepper to taste)
1 can tomato soup
1 can water
1 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tsp. garlic powder
Peppers and Onions (optional, but delicious)

Brown hamburger and drain off excess grease.  Add the remaining ingredients, stir, bring to a boil, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Easy Peasey Lemon Squeezy

Now for my casserole...


Cheesy Beef and Noodle Casserole
While spaghetti sauce is simmering, boil pasta and combine with sauce when al dente.  Pour in casserole dish and top with mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Eat.

You better bet I made more than one trip to the casserole dish

T-minus 33 days and counting until I complete my internship... In the famous words of the Little Engine that Could.... "I think I can, I think I can"

ABC easy as 123

I have really been wanting to blog more, but also you noticed the number of post since January are well... limited.  I must say life is not too exciting these days, because I am knee deep in my internship, but I am so happy that its going really well and it will all be over soon.  Getting paid to teach will be so much better I think!

I saw this cool idea over on Ruthie Hart's blog today and I thought I would give it a try!  Its called ABC.  Feel free to respond with you ABC's, especially if we share any of the them!

Age and/or Anniversary: 24, August 6, 2011

Bed size: full... it is the world's tiniest bed for two :(

Chocolate: yes please, what lady doesn't like it... milk chocolate

Dessert: Frozen yogurt, anything strawberry, and hershey bar cake

Ethnic background: White... My ancestors are from Sweden, Switzerland & England

Fear: Heights... it gets worse the older I get 

Graduation: Highschool: 2005, College: 2009, Grad School: 2012!

Home cooked meal: My mom makes the best chicken pastry, green beans, and baked cornbread

Instruments: Completely  incompetent at music

Job title: No job currently, I work at my internship site full time (student teacher)

Kids: Not right now, eventually though :)

Laughs: Daniel's family guy impersonations get me every time!

Middle name: Lauren

Natural hair color: Dark blonde

Overnight hospital stays: None thankfully

Pastime: In a previous life... tennis, scrapbooking, the beach, shopping, movies

Quote: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Eleanor Roosevelt

Right or left handed: Right 

Siblings: Handsome little (18 years! yikes where does time go?) brother

T.V. Show: House Hunters, The Office, Downton Abbey

Unique gift: My engagement ring... its very vintage and absolutely gorgeous

Vacation spot I love: Disney World!! Is there any place more magical?

Weather right now: 41 and cloudy :( the weather is such a tease here

X-Rays: Only of my left hand

Yummy meal I make: I make a mean Chicken & Biscuits

Zoo Animal: Love, love, love the sea otters.  I love to see them frolic and play!

In other news, today is our 7 month wedding anniversary!  Time is flying by and it makes me so sad... I feel like the years will be gone before we know it.  On the other hand though, I am the happiest and luckiest girl in the world.  Next week will mark 7 years that we have been together and I am so glad I asked his name all those years ago!  I'll leave you with a few of my favorite shots from the wedding.

Happy Tuesday!

Finding A Church

Hello to you all...  Yes, I am in fact still alive.  Graduate school may be slowly sucking the life out of me, but only 37 days of school stand between me and graduation!  I can do it!

Now to you poor readers who I have completely neglected... I am sorry.  I will try to do better, but one should not make promises they cannot keep, so lets leave it at try.  I wanted to take a little time to talk about something that Mr. Pennington and I have been up to lately... finding a new church.

When we met (way back in 2005) we were attending at church that was truly the perfect environment for nurturing our young souls.  Once we graduate high school and started college, we visited a few other churches and often times I went with my mom to my home church.  Well when we got married and moved to a new city it was a whole new challenge to find a church.

Back when we were little bits

Luckily, we didn't move too far away from our hometowns, so people were able to suggest a few places.  We tried out a place here and there, but nothing seemed to click.  Have you guys experienced trying to find a new church?  Its a tough decision, because we want to be committed to a church that can foster our growth in Christ and as a newly married couple.  Meeting people at church has proved to be difficult too.  Smaller churches are a little easy, because new people stick out.  At large churches though, no one knows if your new or not and it can be a challenge.

With all this being said, I think we have found a church we like and this Sunday they had an amazing guest worship leader named Casey Darnell visit.  Casey is a worship pastor at on of the campuses of North Point Community Church in Atlanta, Georgia which also happend to be the church of one amazing pastor named Andy Stanley.  Casey truly blessed the worship at church this morning and I think Mr. Pennington and I are really starting to enjoy it there.  If you get a chance check out some of Casey's music here.

So guys, have you found finding a new church to be a challenge?  Do you have any advice about searching for a new church?  Happy Sunday and I hope you have an amazing week (especially if your my husband who is on spring break and likes to rub it in my face!).

Hello Mr. Wu

Don't you just love the rotating designer collection at target?  Well, in all honesty I have never actually bought anything, but I am pretty pumped about their next designer... Jason Wu.  Mr. Wu has dressed the likes of Emma Stone, Blake Lively, Lea Michele, and Michelle Williams. His style is so classic and chic.  I am actually hoping to snag a few of his designs for the affordable prices of $19.99-49.99.  The collection will be in stores and online from Feb 5-Mar 6 and if its anything like the Missoni collection, you better get there early!

Take a look at a few of my favorites:

Loving this skirt!!

I'm sensing that spring will have a nautical theme this year

This one is a must have... it screams Kate Middleton!

Off to watch Downton....Have a great week y'all!

Aussie Aussie Aussie

Let's talk about the Australian Open! For those blog readers who do not personally know me, I am a tennis fanatic of sorts. I played competitvely from the time I was 12 all the way through college. I have taken a hiatus of sorts from playing, but I coached for a couple of years and I think the desire to play is slowly coming back. It always seems to happen when a major tournament rolls around... maybe it's wishful thinking that I can play like them?


Naturally my bets are on the most amazing man (besides Mr. Pennington of course!) in the world! Roger Federer. Fed stole my heart years ago and besides my mother I am his most devoted fan. He plays with such ease and finesse that it's like watching moving art. He has cruisedthrough to the quarterfinales, but Nadal is lurking in the shadows and they are on a semifinal showdown collision course. But let's just remember that regardless of Roger's success in the tournament he will look amazing and play with class and style.

On the women's side I am struggling a little more. No one in the last few years has really knocked my socks off. My favorite player, Justine Henin retired a few years back and it's been hard to replace her. I like Sharapova, because the amount of determination and focus that she shows is unreal. That screeching of her's has to go though. Serena Williams may win the tournament, but you will never see a stamp of approval from this lady for her. I respect her as a phenomenal athlete, but as a person and sportsman she is seriously lacking in class and manners. I think I will go with Kim Clijsters for the tournament if her ankle holds up. She has the experience and confidence needed to take her to the finals.

(I really hope none of my picks lose during the night, since I wrote this blog last night!)

The major tennis tournaments are on my bucket list and I hope to hit up the US Open soon, since it's certainly the closest! My mom and I are hoping to goto a small tournament in the spring this year and I like to think that they can be even better, because the atmosphere is more intimate and you can get so close to the players. Back in high school I was able to stand five feet from Martina Navratilova and that is something I will always remember!

*Update... Serena is out

Farmhouse Muffins

Today's recipe is a favorite in the Chase house.  My mom has been making Farmhouse Muffins for as long as I can remember.  My brother and I use to forget what they were called and then we would ask her if she could make some "Barnyard Muffins."  Years later we realized how gross the thought of "Barnyard Muffins" sounded!

The actual recipe is a little different than how I made them tonight.  The chili filling that I make for my recipe is the same that I use to make my homemade spaghetti sauce.  I made it, because I knew I would have some leftover and I could use it to make some Baked Spaghetti the next night.  I'll be back later this week with my Baked Spaghetti recipes, so you will have both chili recipes to choose from!

Farmhouse Muffins


what you need
1 can (10 count) refrigerated biscuits
1 lb. hamburger
1/2 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

how to make it
Brown hamburger and then add the remaining ingredients once it is brown.
Drain the grease if necessary.

Spray muffin pan with nonstick spray and flatten out biscuits and place one in each cup.

Cover each biscuit with approximately 2-3 tsp. of chili mixture.

Top with cheese and bake at 350 degree for 13-15 minutes or until biscuits are done.

This is also a great way to make mini deep dish pizzas.  Just substitute the chili mixture with pizza sauce and add some toppings.  They would be great to have for a party, but they are so simple to make!

In other news... I got the most amazing hat this weekend.  I scored this beauty for around $2.  I might be the cutest bear cub in town now.  It was my mom's idea, because she thought it was hilarious.  Once I put it on my head though, I realized it was like wearing a mini heater and I was sold!

Happy Tuesday!

Downton Abbey

If you thought Pinterest was an obsession, you haven't seen anything yet!
Let me introduce you to a little semi-well known British drama called... Downton Abbey.
Aka the best television show I have ever seen in my entire life... seriously!

I have to admit, I stumbled upon this greatness through unusual methods... Prince William and Kate Middleton recommended it to me.  Okay, maybe not directly to me, but I read an article last year that they were really into the show.  After much persuasion, Daniel agreed to watch it with me, because we had found the first season on Netflix.  Much to his surprise we LOVED IT!


Well flash forward to January 2012 and we have anxiously been awaiting the second season.  Unfortunately, we were forced to wait much longer than British audience who got to see the show back in September.  I tried to reroute our IP addresses on our computer to make them British IP addresses so I could get the videos online.  I failed.  Nevertheless its here now and we are two episodes into the season and it is absolutely fabulous!

I want you all to watch it.  Its rare that you find a show that has an amazing story line, witty humor, brilliant costuming, and its a historical period piece!  Lets look at some of the reasons why you should tune into PBS Masterpiece Classic on UNC-TV at 9 p.m. on Sundays:

1. The Costumes- The success of a period piece is reliant on many factors, with the costuming being the primary element.  The men and women of Downton not only exude the era with their acting and speech, but their clothing is absolutely fabulous and true to form of the early 1900's. 


2. Lady Mary- Love her or hate her, you have to give it to the woman- she speaks her mind.  I love Mary's seeming obsession for the standards of tradition, yet she assumes a air of independence that is completely out of character for the women of the time.  She knows that she must secure a position for herself in society, but admirably refused to marry for nothing less than true love.  I just wish she would act on her feelings a little more!

3. Professor McGonagall- What? Now I'm pretty sure your all confused and no I am not getting this show confused with Harry Potter.  It just so happens that the two best things in the entertainment world share a common thread- Maggie Smith aka Professor McGonagall aka Dowager Countess of Grantham.

I could go on and on, but I only want you to be intrigued enough to check it out on your own!
I promise you will NOT be disappointed.