Beauty & Blessings: This Week in Wonder & Awe(some)…

Hey there Beautiful Soul,

Happy November! We are officially in the second last month of 2016 and for Drew and I, it signals that we are that much closer to meeting our little one (who is due in January). In the midst of the hustle and bustle of every day life as well as preparing to welcome this sweet soul into the world, I am reminded how sacred each and every day can be when we remember this:

Take nothing for granted. Take no one for granted.

May this week’s loot bag of love open your eyes and open your heart to the magic and miracles that are all around us…and within us.

 

Love,

Joann & Baby Lesiuczok

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We could all learn a thing or two from little Miss Addison…

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8 Healthy Habits That Are Cheaper Than a Morning Latte…

Photo Credit: Darling Magazine
Photo Credit: Darling Magazine

 

This Lady is one of my FAVOURITE illustrators and artists. Her work is beautiful and inspiring…

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Photo Credit: Inslee By Design
inslee
Photo Credit: Inslee By Design
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Photo Credit: Inslee By Design

 

*To check more of Inslee’s designs, please visit @inslee on instagram or hop on over to her website Inslee By Design. P.S. this lady is ALL OVER Pinterest as well!


I Spy With My Little I-Phone: This Week in Photos…

It's fill-in-the-blank Friday! On deck today: You couldn't pay me enough to _________. Comment below or feel free to send me a message! I'm curious to hear about what money can't buy:)
This past week’s fill-in-the-blank Friday! On deck this week: You couldn’t pay me enough to _________. Comment below or feel free to send me a message! I’m curious to hear about what money can’t buy:)

 

Want a game changer? Here's one courtesy of the brilliant @nicknilson
Want a game changer? Here’s one courtesy of the brilliant @nicknilson

 

Homemade pizza night! Tonight's feature: roasted peppers, roasted broccoli, and chicken.
Homemade pizza night! Tonight’s feature: roasted peppers, roasted broccoli, and chicken.

 

“From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.” ‭‭John‬ ‭1:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.”-‭‭John‬ ‭1:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

“There’s a difference between being too scared to do hard things and doing hard things scared.”-Shannan Martin I love coming across hidden gems and not-so hidden gems. Gem. That is precisely the word I would use to describe “Falling Free” and Shannan Martin. She had a wonderful marriage, a beautiful home, and a growing bank account. Her and her husband had flourishing careers and everything appeared to be on the up and up. They lived safe, secure, and comfortable lives-something that many if not all of us secretly or openly desire, whether we care to admit it or not. Yet what if in the midst of their quest, our quest for safe, secure, and comfortable lives, we were/are pursuing the very things preventing us from living…our best lives?!? “Love is really love-when you are loving the unlovable. Forgiveness is really forgiveness-when you are forgiving the unforgivable. Faith is really faith-when you believe for the unbelievable. And there is a grace that says even this is not impossible and that makes you one of the impossables.”-Ann Voskamp “Deep inside, under my protective layers and all my excuses, buried beneath my ignorance and pride, nearly suffocated by my false realities and unholy ideas, a brand-new spark was lit.”-Shannan Martin Life. Leadership. Legacy. If you think you’ve got everything figured out, this book is for you. If you think you’ve got nothing figured out, this book is for you. And if you’re neither here nor there, this book is for you. This book is a game changer because…love, God’s love is a game changer in the best possible way.
“There’s a difference between being too scared to do hard things and doing hard things scared.”-Shannan Martin

If you think you’ve got everything figured out, this book is for you.
If you think you’ve got nothing figured out, this book is for you.
And if you’re neither here nor there, this book is for you.
This book is a game changer because…love, God’s love is a game changer in the best possible way.

 

Just another beautiful sunset. No big deal.
Just another beautiful sunset. No big deal.

 

"At the end of our lives, we'll regret opportunities missed a lot more than mistakes made."-@markbatterson
“At the end of our lives, we’ll regret opportunities missed a lot more than mistakes made.”-@markbatterson

 

On the menu tonight: Oven baked polenta rounds topped with balsamic tomatoes served with roasted broccoli.
On the menu tonight: Oven baked polenta rounds (a first at our house!) topped with balsamic tomatoes served with roasted broccoli.

 

Processed with Rookie Cam
Just a little fall beauty.

 

Processed with Rookie Cam
While some trees have lost their leaves for the season, this flower is in full bloom.

 

Processed with Rookie Cam
There is beauty, even when we fall.

 

Processed with Rookie Cam
Beautiful Berries…

 

I often get asked the question: "what are you reading these days?" Hop on over to the blog (#linkinbio) for this week's post seven books (I've recently read) on #leadership, #lifestyle, and #legacy.
I often get asked the question: “what are you reading these days?” Hop on over here for this week’s post seven books (I’ve recently read) on #leadership, #lifestyle, and #legacy.

Taking Journaling to a Whole New Level… Here are 29 Bullet Journal Layouts to Inspire You! (here are 3 of the 29)

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FashionABLE: Beautiful Products By Women Who Have Overcome

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Good to know…

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A legacy of love in action begins with a single act. This is a beautiful story of ladies who love! (My FAVOURITE story this week…thank you Ann Voskamp)

Photo Credit: Ann Voskamp
Photo Credit: Ann Voskamp

After 108 years and being down 3-1 in the series, the Chicago Cubs did what few have done and came back to WIN the World Series in Game 7, EXTRA innings. Lesson to You and I: Never. Give. Up.

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Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies 

By: Amy’s Healthy Baking

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By: Amy’s Healthy Baking

These oatmeal cookies taste like the epitome of fall with all of their pumpkin and spices, and it’s hard to say no to extra chocolate! They’ll stay chewy for at least 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator—if they last that long!
Yields: 15 cookies
  • 1 cup (100g) instant oats (measured correctly and gluten-free if necessary)
  • ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • ¾ cup (183g) pumpkin purée
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp (28g) dark or semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 tbsp (14g) miniature chocolate chips
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. Whisk together the oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, pumpkin purée, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the dark chocolate chips and ½ tablespoon of miniature chocolate chips.
  3. Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten to the desired thickness and width using a spatula. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 11-14 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Notes: It’s extremely important to measure both the oats and flour correctly using the spoon and level method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will dry out the cookies and leave them crumbly instead of chewy.

Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times.

For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free instant oats and a gluten-free flour blend. I recommend the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (17g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum.

For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookies FAQ page.

{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}

About Joann Lim Lesiuczok

Lifestyle Designer. Catalyst. Connoisseur of Life. Perfectly Imperfect. Foodie. Allergic to Nuts, Shellfish, and Mediocrity. Love Naps. Thought-Provoker. Soul-Stirrer. Multi-instrument Musician. Professional Dreammaker. Drew's Wife. JE SUiS. 1 Corinthians 14:1. When We Change The Way We Love, We Change The Way We Live. When We Change The Way We Live, We Change The Way We Love. #dangerouslove #generationamazing #lifeclass