Five on Friday

I know, I know. Friday is almost over. With the way this week has been, I say, "better late than never." I hope you'll join me in linking up with The Good Life and RunningMOMentum for today's five.

 

 

[one]

The cold weather heightens my love of so many things this time of year. I've been on a major soup kick lately...which is all around wonderful. Soups and stews are fantastic and beneficial in many ways, especially at the beginning of this beautiful holiday season. The recipes I use make quite a bit. We enjoy the soup for dinner, and then I'll take some for lunch and the rest goes in the freezer for a quick meal or for those cold winter nights (they also heat up nicely over a fire should the power go out-Lord forbid-or festivities call for a bonfire meal.) I dived wholeheartedly into two new recipes that I think you'll enjoy.

 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

and

Potato, Sausage and Kale Soup

 

 

[two]

While getting the house back together this week (in hope of putting up Christmas decorations asap...I've got the holiday spirit!) I've had the T.V. on for some background noise. I was sucked into a state of procrastination when two of my favorite old school movies began. It's not until I begin watching these movies again do I remember just how much I love them.

 



 

 

[three]

Here in central Virginia, the falling of leaves means winter is quickly approaching. The nights have been really cold and the days have ranged from chilly to pleasant. Once this weather sets in, the flannel sheets come out and the quilts find their place on the bed and various pieces of living room furniture. Last night I pulled out the quilt my grandmother made for us in celebration of our marriage. I cherish the love and time that went into this quilt. My hubby loves it because she chose various shades of his favorite color.

 

 

[four]

At first I was appalled when I saw Christmas decorations making their way into isles next to the Halloween flair. However, as the months have gone on, I've gotten over the premature stocking of the shelves and found myself super excited earlier this week walking among the red and green. This is the one time of year when my favorite (store bought) cookies are available. I can always count on going through at least a couple of boxes throughout the holiday season.

 

 

[five]

I admit that I am pretty buddy-buddy with Pinterest these days. I've been thoroughly enjoying snagging some wonderful holiday ideas. I've got a few hopeful attempts for this year that I'll prayerfully complete and post about later. However, one pin that I'm super excited about will hopefully help me get some order restored to this house. Since G's birth in April and returning to work in August, I've not been able to catch up on our home's organization. I discovered this gem and plan to put it into play in the very near future. I feel encouraged by this upcoming Home Organization Challenge...

 

I'm already looking forward to next week's Five on Friday. I have plans to make it a special edition...tune in next week!

 





Pasta Alla Improv

So...I had every intention of making Pasta alla Vodka tonight...which is a little hard to do when you have no vodka. I had no choice but to improvise. Tequila it is! I must say, it was pretty tasty. I imagine the vodka would have a slightly different flavor, but all in all, I'd consider this minor adjustment a success.

1. The main characters: Tequila, tomato puree, garlic, pasta (not pictured...cream, Parmesan, butter, chicken, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes). I baked some chicken to add to the pasta.

2. Follow the recipe as it indicates. Butter, garlic, and tomato puree.

3. Add the cream.

4. Savor the smell and adore the gorgeous color.

5. Toss in the pasta.

6. Slice the chicken.

7. Add the Parmesan cheese and chicken. Toss and enjoy!

The only downside to my love of cooking is my disdain for washing dishes. One must do what she must. Off to the soapy suds I go!

Wedded Bliss

After approximately 1200 miles, we are now home, and glad to be. That is quite a haul with a 6 month old (who was surprisingly amazing during the long hours of travel). The weekend itself was wonderful. It has been quite some time since we've been to Indiana and saw my side of the family. It was such a treat to hang out with my closest cousin, Amanda.

She and I have always been close. Since our years in diapers, we have been mistaken for sisters. Our personalities are very similar, our "love lives" have commonalities, and the list could go on for miles in ways that we are connected. Above all else we are family. The Lord has been so gracious in our lives and I love how I can share those moments with her. Through the dozens of "Single Awareness Days" and dateless Friday nights, we've been able to accept (and hold tightly to the hope) that God had someone special for us.

Sister-Cousins

5 years ago I said "I do" to the one God had chosen for me. Amanda was by my side as my Maid of Honor. I was so blessed by her support throughout my long distance relationship with the man that would become my husband. What an honor it was to stand in her wedding this past weekend. This was a pact that we had established long ago in our days of daydreams and Barbie dolls. This weekend this pact was fulfilled. God has done great things!

Here are a few pictures from the big day. Everything was beautiful!


G meeting her great-grandmother for the first time!

The bride's family

G and her daddy

 It's hard to believe that tomorrow begins another week. The exhaustion from the weekend traveling has caught up with me and I am not looking forward to the start of this week. I'm praying for a solid night's rest and restoration for the morning. Have a blessed night!

Five on Friday

After a 12 hour drive yesterday I'm pleasantly surprised that I'm functioning as well as I am. I'm also glad to be catching up on my Five on Friday. I'm linking up with The Good Life and RunningMomentum for today's post,

 

[one]

On Tuesday we had a teacher's work day. It was wonderful!!! While I tend to have a mile long list, my primary focus was filing. I have so many papers that needed a home. The two main issues that led to this extensive, time consuming task were both self inflicted. 1. I did not take the time to re-file the items that I pulled from my binders. 2. Instead of using activities that I already had, I would pull many new items off of TeachersPayTeachers, I am proud to say that after several hours, my binders are organized and my papers are filed. What a relief!

 

[two]

Over the weekend I placed our Christmas card order. I was so excited because I got to use my Groupon voucher...fabulous right? One would think. Earlier this week I was looking at my bank statement and I saw a charge from the card company. I contacted them and apparently I had used the majority of this voucher sometime over the summer. I don't know how I missed that. Needless to say, my "great deal" ended up costing me about 3 times more than what I would normally spend on Christmas cards. ::sigh::

 

[three]

We began what resulted in a 12 hour trip to Indiana yesterday for my cousin's wedding. It was a long and (thankfully) uneventful trip. We were surprised however, how people felt completely comfortable in telling us what they think should be done with our child. On two occasions, both at restaurants, our servers proceeded to tell us how their grandchildren were eating french-fries and scrambled eggs at G's age. They kept encouraging us in their own ways to "just let her have one. I'm sure she'd love it!" Well great for your grandchildren. Our little girl will stick to her applesauce and pears for now. I don't think I'd ever have the gall to tell a couple of strangers what would be okay for their kids and then give opinionated glances when they kindly decline.

 

[four]

Last night we met up with my aunt, my cousin and her fiancé for dinner. I have not seen my family since April of 2012 when we attended my dad's funeral. It seems so long ago! The wonderful news is that she is getting married tomorrow!! and we got to meet her fiancé last night. He seems great! I think they will be splendid together. After a couple hours of catching up and laughing, we all parted ways to get some sleep before the festivities begin.

 

[five]

Today will be filled with wedding favors, wedding rehearsal, and catch up time with other family members. This side of the family has not met our daughter and I can't wait for her to see them. Lots of pictures will be taken. I also can't wait for her to meet her great grandma. It will be their first meeting. We're all looking forward to it.

 

I'll have pics and more details coming soon. I hope you'll take some time among the chaos of this life to sit back and breathe deeply. Enjoy these fleeting moments. Have a great Friday!



 

Taco Tuesday has gone flat...

*disclaimer: tonight's post is a complete hodge-podge...

If you caught my earlier "menu" post, you would have seen that Tuesday nights are deemed Taco Tuesday at our house. This night consists of various Mexican meals throughout the month (and of course tacos). I was inspired by the Mexican Flat bread recipe posted by The Pioneer Woman. I made a simple rendition that turned out super tasty and was super easy!

My Mexican Flat bread

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I then began with a multi-grain flat bread (I placed a piece of foil on my pan for easy cleanup). I then mashed some pintos...simply because I thought I had a can of refried beans, but must have used them at some point. I spread the pintos onto the flat bread. I then sprinkled a single layer of black beans. While I was completing these tasks, I was cooking my chicken breast. I cooked it on the stove top with a dusting of salt, pepper and cumin. Once it was cooked through, I cut it into small chunks. I sprinkled the chunks over the beans. I then took a delicious heaping pile of cheese and spread it evenly over top. I placed the flat bread in the oven for 10-15 minutes (until the cheese is melted and bubbly.)

I took it out, let it cool for just a couple minutes and then sliced it. A dollop of sour cream and I was enjoying a wonderfully yummy meal. I will be making this again!


All of this was great fun...which was needed considering the rest of my evening has been a giant list of "to-dos". With tomorrow being our last day before our lengthy road trip, we still have a lot to do. We have a lot of packing...my hubby's deer to process...and some other odds and ends before we can leave early Thursday morning. ::sigh::

I've made a list...and I'll be checking it twice.

Before the non-stop motion of this evening, I did take a few minutes to savor the beautiful view of fall from my front porch. More than likely these beautiful hues will no longer be hanging on the trees when we return...I'll miss their splendor.

I hope you too will take some time to enjoy this beautiful season of change and promise.

100

Today marks a special moment in my journey of 1000 gifts. This morning I wrote down my 100th gift of thanksgiving. Only 900 more to go! Learning to live eucharisto continues to present challenges...but the rewards are far greater. I am learning the true meaning of grace, thanksgiving, and joy. I am learning to rest and find gratefulness in all of the things that I once overlooked as commonalities.

There were so many things I took for granted before this journey began. I looked at life with a monochrome palate, and an often ungrateful heart. This was not intentional, but without putting a name to all that is, I was completely unaware of the gifts that God has so graciously poured over my family and I.

I am learning to live with expectancy.
I am living with true, unsuppressed joy.
I am learning to love myself.
I am living in moments of grace and thanksgiving.

Even the hard eucharisto is becoming more natural for me as I try to view all that is from the lens of my God. It's amazing how much we learn and how much change can occur in one's heart when we begin to practice looking beyond ourselves and into the heart of God. His goodness is boundless.

Tis the Season

So...I had some fun things to post for my Five on Friday but due to chaotic circumstances, the post did not get completed. However, before moving away from this past week, I wanted to quickly share with you G's first Halloween...

I must say, she was seriously the cutest little caterpillar I have ever seen! I just love her to pieces!

Okay, moving on. This past week was a whirlwind and as this weekend passes far too quickly, I am trying to prepare both physically and mentally for this upcoming week. We have a major road trip coming up, and while the destination will be a good time, the trip...probably not so much. I'm usually pretty optimistic, but a 10+ hour car ride with an opinionated 6 month old does not sound like a load of fun.

To take my mind off of the miles ahead, I took some time tonight to lift my spirits. I fought off the urge to put up the tree, but presents...yes, Christmas presents, were wrapped in this house tonight. I usually have much more of my shopping done by this point in the year. However, with all we've had going on, very little has actually been accomplished. I was however, simply thrilled to feel the colorful paper slide beneath my fingers. There is just something so satisfying about placing that bow on top as a finishing touch. While I am not one to wish away time, I do look forward to my daughter's first Christmas.

We were also fortunate to have a beautiful day for some quick pictures earlier this morning. My wonderful sister-in-law came and out and took a few shots for us. My favorites were put onto our Christmas card (which I'll put up soon). I bought a Groupon a while back and had forgotten about it. It expires in the next few days so I had to get our card together. I'm pleased with how they turned out. I typically order from Vistaprint, but thanks to my Groupon deal, I was able to order my cards, along with some prints, for about $19 (the cost of my Groupon) from Picaboo. I will say that the cards I made and purchased this year cost more overall than those that I normally make and had I not had my discount, I probably would have opted for the company that I've used in the past.

Here are a couple of shots that I really liked, but did not make it to our card...

One tradition that I also always look forward to is filling a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child. I enjoyed this project growing up and it has stuck with me since. I even received a letter from a child in Honduras one year. Both my husband and I want to instill a mentality of giving in our daughter. This year, she'll of course be with us filling the box, however, we can't wait for (I take that back...I can wait but I do look forward to...) the day when she can pick out her own items to place in the box. We always pray over the box and its contents in hope that which ever child receives it, will come to know the love of Christ and greatly benefit from the items inside. It is so exciting to think of the joy that spreads across the receiver's face. Another cool thing that OCC has added over the last couple years is the online option to track your package and see which country it goes to. We'll definitely be taking advantage of that this year. I hope you'll consider sending a box this year.  It truly is better, and more blessed, to give than receive.