I'll never be good at blogging. The consistent, interesting tid-bits of writing, apparently are not in my nature. That being said, I enjoy being able to dash over here and write when I do fancy it.
Currently, I'm somewhat successfully resisting the urge to listen to Christmas music ALL day EVERY day. It's tough. Especially since Spotify makes listening to music so easy, add to that the fact that She&Him just came out with a new Christmas album. However, I am resisting. Philip is adamant that I not begin listening until Thanksgiving. My excitement and anticipation of Christmas and all things cheery has been fed by the Target dollar section. I found holiday dog sweaters I am forcing my cats in to (I will take pictures), a fun Christmas countdown felt calendar, and some candle lanterns. Additionally, I am 50% done Christmas shopping. Oh Christmas, I just love the warmth you bring!
I visited my sister Stephanie a few weeks back with my other two sisters. We had lots of fun. We made a mulled wine that I wanted to try. I was hoping it would be magical and the perfect holiday drink for the season. Alas, it was good, but not the magical experience I was hoping for. I likely won't take the time to make it again, but it was fun experience.
Boxing round two (for me) started last week. I am thrilled to be back in it. I can't wait until we put on our gloves next week and start actually punching things. It's the best work out I've ever done (apart from swimming, probably), and it keeps me active. I'm quite lazy when it comes to staying active.
In other news, a couple of women from my church who are even more newly-wed than I am (how long do I get to pretend I'm a newly-wed?) invited me to begin an accountability group with them. Man has that been awesome. I've never been very good at deep relationships with women (apart from my best friend and my sisters). There is so much fear of judgment, fear of failure, fear of not presenting yourself in the best light possible. I have found that in letting my guard down, there is such fruit that comes from being open, honest, accountable, and loving with other Christian women. I come away simultaneously convicted and encouraged. Bonus: I am cultivating truly wonderful God-honoring relationships.
Life is full and good. There are the tough parts, like the fact that Philip hasn't had work to speak of in 6 or 8 weeks. Or the part where we can't really plan life right now as we are in limbo with his job, our living situation, and finances in general. However, through it all I'm so grateful to be just where we are, experiencing just what we are experiencing. We have good friends, we are not hungry, and we love each other.
Well, that was long-winded. Back to the beginning pargraph: what is YOUR favorite part about the holidays? Do you love Christmas, or does Thanksgiving trump it?
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Poison Ivy
Last Saturday Philip and I helped out with a youth service project at our church. We were rewarded with Poison Ivy. He's doing all right with it, I, on the other hand, have never experienced anything quite like this. It is covering over half of both my legs (I mean covering - I will spare you from pictures, it's disgusting), and pretty well spread all over both arms, a bit on my stomach, a patch under my chin, and a bit on my hands.
I tried to use over the counter creams and oatmeal baths, but I could hardly stay at work for more than three hours without having to come home and sit in an oatmeal bath. So Tuesday I went to the minute clinic, got some Prednisone and have been taking hefty doses of that for the past three days. Thankfully, slowly it is drying up, not really clearing up, but drying up and itching a little less every day. I'll be on the steroids for two weeks, but I'm hoping I'll be able to normal looking skin in a few more days. We'll see.
We've been having some yummy food despite my condition. Last night we enjoyed Blackened Salmon with avocado and fresh lime juice as well as a few other veggie sides (I'm trying to get back to the whole having 75-80% of the plate be veg, and 20-25% protein). It was delicious, although it did fill our house with smoke and could stand to have the salt scaled back just a touch. It had great spice and great texture. I followed the linked recipe almost exactly.
Wednesday night was small group, so I whipped up some pumpkin cookies. The problem was, I jumped into a recipe that, upon further inspection, looked a little boring and I did not have regular baking flower. So, I decided to have a little confidence, doctor the recipe to my theoretical liking, and substitute whole-wheat flour. After doing so Philip and I tasted the batter, grimaced a little, but decided to bake them up anyway, hoping for the best. They turned out delicious, now if only I knew exactly what I did. :) Here's the recipe I started with. My best estimate for what I did is as follows:
1 can pumpkin
1 very softened stick of butter
2-3 T. oil
1 heaping cup of white sugar
1 egg
1/4-1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 cups whole wheat flour
3ish t. baking powder
2 1/2 t. cinnamon
scant 1/2 t. ginger
heavy 1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. cloves
3/4 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 T. milk
1 T. vanilla
1 bag of semisweet chocolate chips
Anyway, yum!
I tried to use over the counter creams and oatmeal baths, but I could hardly stay at work for more than three hours without having to come home and sit in an oatmeal bath. So Tuesday I went to the minute clinic, got some Prednisone and have been taking hefty doses of that for the past three days. Thankfully, slowly it is drying up, not really clearing up, but drying up and itching a little less every day. I'll be on the steroids for two weeks, but I'm hoping I'll be able to normal looking skin in a few more days. We'll see.
We've been having some yummy food despite my condition. Last night we enjoyed Blackened Salmon with avocado and fresh lime juice as well as a few other veggie sides (I'm trying to get back to the whole having 75-80% of the plate be veg, and 20-25% protein). It was delicious, although it did fill our house with smoke and could stand to have the salt scaled back just a touch. It had great spice and great texture. I followed the linked recipe almost exactly.
Wednesday night was small group, so I whipped up some pumpkin cookies. The problem was, I jumped into a recipe that, upon further inspection, looked a little boring and I did not have regular baking flower. So, I decided to have a little confidence, doctor the recipe to my theoretical liking, and substitute whole-wheat flour. After doing so Philip and I tasted the batter, grimaced a little, but decided to bake them up anyway, hoping for the best. They turned out delicious, now if only I knew exactly what I did. :) Here's the recipe I started with. My best estimate for what I did is as follows:
1 can pumpkin
1 very softened stick of butter
2-3 T. oil
1 heaping cup of white sugar
1 egg
1/4-1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 cups whole wheat flour
3ish t. baking powder
2 1/2 t. cinnamon
scant 1/2 t. ginger
heavy 1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. cloves
3/4 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 T. milk
1 T. vanilla
1 bag of semisweet chocolate chips
Anyway, yum!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Birthday
My birthday surprised me just a little bit this year. I knew it was coming, but it didn't feel like the right time. Maybe it was the unseasonably hot days or the fact that I did not feel like it was possible I was turning 23. Or, more likely, I'm used to celebrating my birthday with my sister Stephanie (we were born 7 years apart to the day) and once again would not be. I absolutely love celebrations, but having a celebration all to myself didn't sound like as much fun as other holidays or shared birthdays. The key here is shared experience, I've discovered more and more how important shared experience is to me. Whatever the case, I felt apprehensive and underwhelmed by the prospect of a birthday.
I knew Philip was planning something, but decided to resist snooping. My birthday happened to fall on the day of the week that we host small group. I began to be suspicious that Philip was planning some sort of surprise at small group. I told him I didn't like that idea because it would be embarrassing to have a big deal made out of my measly 23rd birthday, he just shrugged his shoulders.
He did indeed surprise me after small group (it was a surprise, even though I'd been suspicious, because he planned it so well). Quite literally as soon as the last person praying said "amen" Luke and Sharon (my sister-in-law and brother-in-law) burst in carrying a Rice Krispy Treat Castle and everyone started singing to me.
Why a Rice Krispy Treat Castle, you say? Well, when I was maybe 17, I decided I wanted a Rice Krispy Treat Castle for my wedding cake. I still thought it was a great idea when I was planning my wedding three years later, however, my Old Hollywood/1930ish inspired wedding didn't really seem to support the idea, so I went with a more traditional cake. I was so happy and surprised that Philip had remembered my silly idea these years later. Side note, I LOVE Rice Krispy Treats.
Philip had also asked everyone to write me a card, so I had a large stack of notes and cards to read. They were all so sweet and heartfelt and encouraging and made me feel very special. Our small group is so amazing. I feel very privileged to have these people in my life as friends and fellow believers.
When all was said and done, I was pretty overwhelmed, but so touched by Philip's thoughtfulness.
And to top everything off, I took a trip to Cincinnati the next day with my sister Elizabeth and Maxfield to visit Ikea and Jungle Jim's. So much fun!
I had a wonderful birthday, and I'm looking very much forward to being able to celebrate with all four of my sisters at the end of this month.
Here's a few pictures of the castle and its creators. As usual, no camera, but a kind friend took a few pictures on his phone.
I knew Philip was planning something, but decided to resist snooping. My birthday happened to fall on the day of the week that we host small group. I began to be suspicious that Philip was planning some sort of surprise at small group. I told him I didn't like that idea because it would be embarrassing to have a big deal made out of my measly 23rd birthday, he just shrugged his shoulders.
He did indeed surprise me after small group (it was a surprise, even though I'd been suspicious, because he planned it so well). Quite literally as soon as the last person praying said "amen" Luke and Sharon (my sister-in-law and brother-in-law) burst in carrying a Rice Krispy Treat Castle and everyone started singing to me.
Why a Rice Krispy Treat Castle, you say? Well, when I was maybe 17, I decided I wanted a Rice Krispy Treat Castle for my wedding cake. I still thought it was a great idea when I was planning my wedding three years later, however, my Old Hollywood/1930ish inspired wedding didn't really seem to support the idea, so I went with a more traditional cake. I was so happy and surprised that Philip had remembered my silly idea these years later. Side note, I LOVE Rice Krispy Treats.
Philip had also asked everyone to write me a card, so I had a large stack of notes and cards to read. They were all so sweet and heartfelt and encouraging and made me feel very special. Our small group is so amazing. I feel very privileged to have these people in my life as friends and fellow believers.
When all was said and done, I was pretty overwhelmed, but so touched by Philip's thoughtfulness.
And to top everything off, I took a trip to Cincinnati the next day with my sister Elizabeth and Maxfield to visit Ikea and Jungle Jim's. So much fun!
I had a wonderful birthday, and I'm looking very much forward to being able to celebrate with all four of my sisters at the end of this month.
Here's a few pictures of the castle and its creators. As usual, no camera, but a kind friend took a few pictures on his phone.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Carrots! Success!
This spring I planted some carrots in my shared experiment of a garden. Last week as we were pulling plants out and preparing the garden for winter, Candace and I remembered our carrots and pulled them up. They were pretty huge and strange looking, but still needed eaten. This week I decided to figure out a way to use up all my strange knobby carrots. I was inspired by Candace's use of them in creamed carrot soup and did something similar. I used this recipe as a framework, but pretty loosely. I wanted a more savory soup. My soup was something like this:
1 Shallot, chopped (although 2 would have been better, I only had 1)
1/4 C. Butter
1 clove Garlic
3 C. Carrots, chopped (6-10 average carrots)
2 Potatoes, cubed (Cauliflower could be substituted for an even healthier soup, or just added)
1 Broccoli floret, chopped
2 cans Vegetable broth
1 C. Water
1 t. Salt
1 t. Rosemary (these spice measurements are all *very* rough estimates)
1/2 t. Thyme
1/2-1 t. Basil
1/2 t. Marjoram
1/4 t. Oregano
1/3-1/2 C. Heavy Cream (milk or Half and Half can easily be substituted)
Melt the butter, and cook the shallot. Add the garlic for 30 seconds to a minute. Pour in the liquid, vegetables and spices. Simmer until veggies are soft, for about 30 minutes. Let the soup cool a bit and pour it into your blender for a quick spin (you may need to do this in two batches). Return to pot, add the cream or milk, and stir it in heating through. You may want to add a little more milk or water at this point, depending on how thick you like your soup. Enjoy!
The extra veggies rounded out the sweetness of the carrots, and it ended up being a very savory, Fall soup. Sweet soups aren't really my thing. I want to like squash soup, but it's usually just a a touch too sweet, so I was happy with the flavor in this soup. It was given two thumbs up by more than one taste-tester. It's definitely in my top 5 soup recipes that I've ever made.
1 Shallot, chopped (although 2 would have been better, I only had 1)
1/4 C. Butter
1 clove Garlic
3 C. Carrots, chopped (6-10 average carrots)
2 Potatoes, cubed (Cauliflower could be substituted for an even healthier soup, or just added)
1 Broccoli floret, chopped
2 cans Vegetable broth
1 C. Water
1 t. Salt
1 t. Rosemary (these spice measurements are all *very* rough estimates)
1/2 t. Thyme
1/2-1 t. Basil
1/2 t. Marjoram
1/4 t. Oregano
1/3-1/2 C. Heavy Cream (milk or Half and Half can easily be substituted)
Melt the butter, and cook the shallot. Add the garlic for 30 seconds to a minute. Pour in the liquid, vegetables and spices. Simmer until veggies are soft, for about 30 minutes. Let the soup cool a bit and pour it into your blender for a quick spin (you may need to do this in two batches). Return to pot, add the cream or milk, and stir it in heating through. You may want to add a little more milk or water at this point, depending on how thick you like your soup. Enjoy!
The extra veggies rounded out the sweetness of the carrots, and it ended up being a very savory, Fall soup. Sweet soups aren't really my thing. I want to like squash soup, but it's usually just a a touch too sweet, so I was happy with the flavor in this soup. It was given two thumbs up by more than one taste-tester. It's definitely in my top 5 soup recipes that I've ever made.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Perfect for Me
This week, I have been particularly thankful for my perfect-for-me husband. It has been a long and stressful couple of weeks in terms of my work. The hours of my work, the responsibilities at my work, and the nature of my work has changed fairly quickly and dramatically. I have been gone for training and work quite a bit, recently. I just arrived in Michigan today and will be here until Saturday.
Philip has really sensed my stress levels, and been there for me. Traveling, while fun, quickly becomes not fun for me if I have to be gone for long periods of time. I'm more of a homebody now than ever before. Philip surprised me with flowers (to cheer up the car and hotel room), an encouraging note that brought tears to my eyes, and three burned CDs of Nordic Mythology (to pass the the time in the car). Only my sweet husband would know that I would love Nordic Mythology for my car ride entertainment. I'm so excited about where God is taking us professionally, spiritually, and personally.
Philip has really sensed my stress levels, and been there for me. Traveling, while fun, quickly becomes not fun for me if I have to be gone for long periods of time. I'm more of a homebody now than ever before. Philip surprised me with flowers (to cheer up the car and hotel room), an encouraging note that brought tears to my eyes, and three burned CDs of Nordic Mythology (to pass the the time in the car). Only my sweet husband would know that I would love Nordic Mythology for my car ride entertainment. I'm so excited about where God is taking us professionally, spiritually, and personally.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Absent
Summer was a blur of heat, corn fields, family stuff, concerts, Philip being gone, and other things I can't remember right now. Tonight, I returned from babysitting, and now I pack. We leave for Indianapolis in the morning. Philip has an expo to attend, then we leave for Maryland around midnight tomorrow evening. We arrive in Maryland midday, we will unpack, find someplace to eat and rest. I will be attending a certification class Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. to learn the software for an HPLC machine at the lab I work at. Philip will be working on video game music, and putting together cd packets for an upcoming and important show. We will leave Maryland Wednesday around 6 p.m. and drive to a hotel midway. We will sleep and start driving again by 10 a.m. I will drop Philip off in Indianapolis where he will attend an Audio Engineering Society Meeting, I will continue on to Lafayette. I will try to gather myself and run off to babysit at 6:30 p.m. Thursday after I am done babysitting, I will breath for a little while. Friday I will work and then return to Indianapolis for a really big concert Philip will be playing. Friday night we will drive back to Lafayette together. I'm hoping to get some semblance of normal life back by going to my farmer's market Saturday morning. I will babysit again Saturday evening, and then for the first time in over a month we will attend church! Yes, these past few weeks have felt like a run on paragraph, much like the one I just wrote. Some high points, some moments of panic, and a hint of time to breath. We are living life, and there are many things to be excited about.
Monday, May 2, 2011
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