Through Eyes Of An Italian Heiress

Launching a NEW BLOG!!!

Nikki — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:39:27 +0000

Hey! This year has brought about many new things…

I turned 30!!!

I launched my own Jewelry Line!!!

and NOW … I am Launching a New Blog! I will update there more frequently and it is linked to my Jewelry Design!

Check it :

http://angelinanikalina.blogspot.com/

All Things Charleston

Nikki — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 21:05:07 +0000

Two years and counting I moved to Charleston. There are many things that Charleston life has to offer, there is an amazing amount of culture and History here. One thing Charleston is known for is good food! When I moved here I tried Shrimp & Grits for the first time, and my taste buds were never the same. Fleet Landing has the best that I have tasted thus far. I have wanted to learn how to make them since I moved here, and I had the chance to go to a cooking class here with my good friend Alicia at Coastal Cupboard in Mount Pleasant. First shopping there is a treat they have a variety of fun and useful kitchen gadgets, dishes, baking things, and more. The cooking class was great. We could ask questions and watching it was a perfect learning style for cooking. I learned a few new things that I am going to share with you:

1) Cook with heavy bottom pans and your food will cook evenly because the heat is distributed ever through that type if pan.

2) When cooking vegetables layer with salt and it makes them “sweat” not burn.

3) Layer your spices as you cook so you can get the full flavor.

4) It is super easy to make an amazing basic red sauce “Fresh Basil” is the key! (Only 5 Ingredients)

5) Making your own Carmel Sauce is so worth the taste for the few minutes it takes to cook! (Super Easy)

You can look online for all the classes offered at Coastal Cupboard Kitchen – Different Times, Different prices but they offer a variety of classes! Mine was a $20 dollar class and worth it! Go on an Empty Stomach!

I Love My Job

Nikki — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:33:14 +0000

I get to love on the sweet babies & they bring so much joy into my life…

Ford (above) Loves Monster Trucks, Tennis, and Golf. He also enjoys going to target because he gets popcorn & a new truck when we go. He also enjoys cooking, in his kitchen he is always making “Hot Trucks – or Crayons” (Yum) He is so animated and so fun! I forgot to tell you how much he likes to dance! Living in Charleston he loves going over the bridges and seeing the “big boats” and I think his favorite place is becoming the aquarium. You will laugh in seconds of being around him!

Grayson (below) is precious! She is always so happy! She laughs this amazing belly laugh. Her laugh is loudest when Ford is around, she LOVES watching him. I think she realizes how to push his buttons already and laughs at that too. If you tell her she is beautiful or pretty she will give you the biggest smile. She just started drumming to everything, so maybe she has some musical ability. I know she is too young to tell, but I am thinking she is going to be a little athlete like her brother. She also carries the tennis racket around when she can sneak it away from her brother. She can only say a few things at the moment, but she is all over the place. She already enjoys shopping and the beach. She is going to be a social butterfly.

Prunes or Pruning…

Nikki — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:45:50 +0000

Have you ever eaten a prune for enjoyment? I have, and I really like them. Now when it comes to pruning things out of my life, I avoid that at all cost. But to grow we must and I know that I have enjoyed the freedom I find when I allow God to prune things from my life. It may be people, things, or anything I hold tightly to. Ugghhh…. I don’t even like talking about it, I feel like a 3-year-old holding tightly to that “something” that I just want to have with me always.

There is a few things & people I have been holding tightly too lately. I continued to “give” them to the Lord or shall I say let him see it while I was still holding on. It was this Monday as I was spinning and my instructor asked what is it that we have placed before the Lord, what have we been worshiping besides him. There was my list, and guess whose name was on it: MY OWN, along with a few other things and people. I realized how much I had worshiped myself and idolized my own pleasure and selfishness before the Lord’s. It really is such a humbling thing. Yet God’s mercy & love continues to pour out. I love how he speaks to me gently he knows how to bring me to repentance. Some people need a lashing of sorts, and well that is just not me. He knows how to bring me to the place of repentance and allow me to feel so loved by him. I know that if I want to glorify him and worship him than I need to allow him to continue to prune away the things that are not of Him.

John 3:30 ” He Must become Greater and I must become Less”

What have you been worshiping lately?

Mercy

Nikki — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:47:27 +0000

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:22-24

I have spent the last two days reflecting on these verses. They are not new to me, but thankfully God’s Word is always like fresh water to the soul. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around the fact that the LORD’s love never CEASES- that HE lavishes his mercy on us…constantly. So thankful for his LOVE and MERCY. I need them both as much as I need food and water.

I also love verse 24, The Lord is my Portion screams my soul, and because of that I WILL HOPE IN HIM!!!! ( My little translation) It makes me think of that song- All of you is more than enough for me, because you are more portion I can have hope. Even if the world around me and everything within me fails, your love and mercy and YOU JESUS are enough for me.

I LOVE CVS DEALS…

Nikki — Thu, 26 May 2011 00:54:08 +0000

So some of you may know and some of you will now be enlightened…

I love a good deal! I am a coupon girl, yes binder and all! I love it! In the middle of moving, and was in a wedding last weekend which does not leave a ton of free time. BUT today I made a quick trip to CVS and I was very happy. Even though this is not the best deal I have ever had, it still amazed me. So I payed $1.26 and received 4.99 in CVS ECB which is basically like cash to spend at CVS!!!! So here is what I walked away with:

*Revlon Nailpolish (Poppy) * Sally Hanson White Nailpolish * Trident Gum ( Around $9 before Taxes)

Alicia & Evan

Nikki — Thu, 26 May 2011 00:42:18 +0000

Alicia and Evan are such a cute couple, it was an honor to stand beside Alicia on May 21,2011. Their is one photo of us on her special day. I am so amazed by God’s hand in her life. I love seeing how they both light up when they are around each other! I am a little rusty at my photography, but here are a few of my favorites of the happy couple!

Ramblings

Nikki — Thu, 12 May 2011 19:57:02 +0000

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

I think as a woman one of the hardest things to do is to tame our thought life. It may be worrying about things, or thinking about what we look like, or what someone thinks of us, maybe it is thinking on hurts, or failures, are imperfections. Maybe it is what we think of others. God has really been challenging me in this area and this verse has been something that I have been clinging to. It has been me replacing the truth with things that are not true. Maybe it is just bringing truth to the fore front. For all of us I think it is different. Our focus just needs to be directed to HIM, and he is true, and noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable. He is excellent and he deserves all the praise.

What is your thought life today?

All things new…

Nikki — Sun, 01 May 2011 02:28:19 +0000

April has been a marking point for me, a time of reflection. A time of thankfulness. I am constantly amazed at God’s hand in my life. How in the most difficult moments he shows me that he is there. How he brings things that are old to full renewal. As I have thought about the last year of my life, I am in awe. I have had a ton of a change, and through it all it has been good. I am NO WHERE I thought I would be at this point in my life, or even from last year till now. I can tell you this … GOD’s ways are so much higher then ours. I think one of the most important lessons I have learned is that when we choose obedience over desire… HE BLESSES US! The truth is: sometimes thats the hardest most difficult choice to make. I have always been amazed with God’s wisdom. I started thinking of all the little things he has created from how if you plant a seed and water it, it not only grows, but provides food for us to grow. How a woman can give birth to a baby and then produce milk to feed a baby. How a body of water flows in a certain direction, with such great purpose. Everything HE creates with purpose and how when we are fully alive & fulfilling the purpose he created us we are able to make the impact we were created to make. So in that … why can’t we just trust in HIS WISDOM, that he know’s the plans he has for us to give us a future and a hope. In Ephesians 3:20, it says he will do more than we can think, ask, or imagine. I think I have a really hard time sometimes letting go of my plans or my thoughts, and my ways. His are so much higher and so much better, I can tell you that I am so thankful where God has me, and the people he has surrounded me with. Yet I wouldn’t have chosen that myself. I am humbled by his wisdom, and desire to trust it more. What area in your life have you been holding tightly to? Have you allowed your plans to be sifted by his wisdom? I challenge you to walk in obedience and even when it hurts, and when it’s hard, and it’s not logical to you.. TRUST HIM. HOLD ON TO HIM, let him carry you, and on the other side you will find joy and contentment and peace.

Here are a FEW of the things I am so thankful for:

Friends

Nikki — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:27:07 +0000

So thankful for my dear fun friend RP…