Weekend Entertainment

Two words: class picture.

A facebook friend added this photo this evening and tagged me in it. I laughed so hard.

I have decided that 4th-6th grade are the most awkward years in a child's life. This picture proves it.

How do you like the teddy bear vest I'm wearing? Yup, that's the embroidered print on it. Bronzes, greens, and creams. What a fashion statement. I guarantee you my jeans went past my belly button and were straight legged. I probably was wearing my black shoes that were a hand-me-down from my grandma. I mean, they went to my ankles, were fake leather, had rubber soles, and were topped off with black laces. That's right, I wore those shoes every day that year. No one could talk me out of it.

Anyway, enjoy! It got a laugh out of me.



Our 1st Anniversary

On Sunday, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary. In a lot of ways, it feels like this year flew by. Sure, when we were apart, the days drug on, but in the large scheme of things, I feel like I was just walking down the aisle to pledge my life to my best friend. We had a wonderful day celebrating our marriage, and we look forward to the many more anniversaries to come!

We began our day by going to church. As I said on facebook, please ignore my hunchback pose. I am not sure what it up with that. Anyway, we enjoyed a very nice sermon preached by our pastor's brother-in-law. It really put a lot of things into perspective for me... such as waiting for God's timing in everything. His plan is so much bigger than we can understand.

After church, we drove to Ithaca to eat at The Boatyard. Yum! Their food is so tasty. They have buffalo chicken egg rolls that make my mouth water. It was delish!

After lunch, we saw this blue heron enjoying his lunch by the river. It was too cool to see one so close. Sadly, I soon scared him off.

We then came back home, exchanged gifts, changed clothes, and left for a nearby state park. This waterfall was so pretty! It is my favorite that I have seen so far.

We then made the trek up this really cool stairway. It looks pretty, but looks are deceiving. This stairway was a booger to climb as it wraps around the hill. I admit, I had to rest at the top.

Andrew was fascinated with these rocks. They were very thin, pretty sharp, and flew like crazy. They're dangerous!

Just another picture of us : ) We love each other, can you tell?

I really liked how the gorge ran along the pathway. It was so pretty! It made for a very relaxing hike.

Us, again, enjoying our anniversary.

I thought this bridge was really cool. Overall, the whole state park was beautiful. We'll be returning when family members start visiting!

It was such a good anniversary! Like I said, we look forward to the many, many more we will celebrate together. It's been a wonderful year, and I am even more in love with my husband than I was when I married him. I wouldn't trade what we have for the world!



Chicken Pot Pie

Let me start by saying, I really enjoy a good pot pie. Now, I grew up eating the frozen ones. They were perfectly acceptable when I was child and didn't realize that I was consuming spongy chicken. Now I cannot get past the concept of fake, frozen chicken. So, I have just not had a pot pie in a long, long time.

Let me also say that I am a huge dork and purchased frozen pie crusts without a top. How can you have a pot pie with no lid? This, too, is unacceptable. I found a super easy, super quick recipe online that was fantastic.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced

1/4 cup ice water

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembled course crumbs. Stir in water a teaspoon at a time until the mixture is cohesive. You may need to get your hands dirty to get all of the flour moist. Form it into a ball and store in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll dough into a 9 inch circle. Viola! You're done!

Now onto the pot pie...

Ingredients:

1/2 pound cubed boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup sliced celery

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped onion

2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon celery seed

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup milk
1 nine inch unbaked pie crust

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large pot, boil the chicken, carrots, peas, corn, and celery for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, over medium heat, cook the onions in butter until they are soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

Drain chicken and veggie mixture and pour into the pie crust.

Top with hot soup mixture.

Cover with pie crust. Seal edges. Cut away access dough. Put the pie on a baking sheet. Make slits in the dough to allow heat to escape.

Bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Cut, serve, and enjoy!



Rewind

In all of the craziness following the move, I had forgotten that I said I would blog about the significant change in the baby robins from one week to the next.

This picture was taken on May 9th. I thought that they were so cute and tiny nestled into their nest like this.

The following pictures were taken May 16th... exactly a week apart.

Andrew noticed that the nest was empty, which was good, because he was going to take it down and clean the house for the next home owners. This made me a bit sad, but I understood. After he had been outside for a while, he came in an excitedly told me he saw one of the babies hopping around the yard, trying to fly. I grabbed my camera and went out.

Isn't he a cute, grumpy little thing? I think his tufts of white feathers are hilarious & the expression he gave me was priceless.

Soon, he joined his sibling. They were hopping around and just enjoying life (and probably trying to get away from the crazy lady with a camera). So cute.

I was amazed at how quickly they grew. They truly looked like robins. I was glad that I got to see them at this stage in their life, and I was also glad that they no longer needed the safety of their nest to survive. I hope their still doing well. I miss all of my wildlife in that tiny yard of mine.

Stromboli

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, my mother-in-law gave me a recipe book with their family favorites. I was so excited to get this recipe book for many reasons. For one, I love to cook. For another, I have been wanting to cook some of Andrew's childhood favorites so he can enjoy them now. This recipe book included one of his very favorites of all times... stromboli. I was very surprised at how easy it was to make, and I was very excited at his reaction to the meal! He really enjoyed it.

Joni said that I could share this recipe, so I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients:

1 loaf frozen bread dough

1/2 pound or so of meat

Shredded cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 tsp basil

Preparation:

Thaw dough in the refrigerator.

Roll dough into 10x15 rectangle. Yes, I wrestled with the dough. Yes, I realize it's not very pretty. Yes, the imperfection bothered me. I am trying to get over that.

Beat egg and parmesan cheese, and brush over crust.

Layer meats and cheese.

Sprinkle with basil.

Roll tightly lengthwise.

Seal edges.

Place sealed side down on greased baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes.

Remove.

Slice.

Serve!

Enjoy!

This recipe was very easy. I need to have a bit more practice on rolling the dough more evenly, but not bad! The looks didn't change the taste. That's really all that matters, right?

This week, I have something else planned for this basic recipe. I will share that soon... it will be good!



Simple Stroganoff

Last night, I made a fairly easy stroganoff by combining two recipes I've recently been given. My mother-in-law gave me an awesome recipe book with their family favorites (which I will share one of those recipes very soon), and my sister sent me an easy stroganoff recipe she uses. Here's what I came up with when I combined the two:

Ingredients:

Stew meat (or ground beef)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 can of water

1/4 cup Sour cream

Flour

Salt & Pepper

Preparation:

Salt and pepper meat to taste

Coat meat in flour

Brown on both sides

Combine meat with remaining ingredients in crockpot

Mix well

Cook on low for 6-8 hours

Just before serving, cook 1/2 pound egg noodles as directed

Mix well

Serve and enjoy!

Side note...

After using flour yesterday, I just had to unpack these cutie-patootie canisters. I've had these since my first year of college, and I am just now able to use them. A-dor-able! Just another one of those little details that makes me smile : )

Little Details

Our items arrived yesterday, and we sure do have a big job ahead of us! I have had the chance to add little details so far that has made our home a little more "me", and a little more comfortable. These little things have gone a long way in making me feel more at home.

Curtains and tie-backs for our large double doors. Our landlords live right next to us, and this is the view of their backyard. It's not ideal to have curtains over the doors, but we mostly use the back door anyway. It's nice to have privacy, and it's also nice to have the home-y touch of the curtains.

Owl shower curtain and purple rug : ) We still need to hang the towel holders and do a little more work on the shower area, but this spruced it up quite nicely. I heart this shower curtain!

Plants! Andrew got me these shepard's hooks for graduation. We found these plants on sale at Lowes and had 10% off of that. What a steal. I liked the bright blue flowers on the one, and my friend, Jen, has a plant from the same family as the purple and green one. I think of her every time I look at it : )

Material items most certainly aren't the most important aspect of life, but they sure are helping me settle into my new life so far away from family and friends!

By the way, have I mentioned how awesome it is to have Andrew with me at the end of the day?! I love it!!!

Latest Addiction

I have been shunning eReaders for a long, long time now. I have held true to the belief that I only like to read a book when I can feel the printed pages, turn each page on my own, and smell the distinct scent of the printed text. To me, that was a large part of the experience of reading.

Earlier this month, I was forced to re-evaluate my beliefs when we got the news that my mom is going to be a published author for Tyndale House Publishers. She has been in the process of getting her novel, Delivery, published for a long time now, and God's timing is now!

For the first time ever, electronic book sales have surpassed print. The market is swinging more toward eReaders as technology advances by leaps and bounds. My mom was chosen as one of five authors to be published first in digital format. If her book sells well digitally, it will most likely be moved to print.

As one who has believed in this book from the very beginning, I was a bit disappointed. Selfish, I know, but I wanted SO BADLY to read this book in the published format. Sure, I've read it eight times now, but that's not the same. Also, I could have very well downloaded the free Kindle app on my computer or iPhone (which I did), but something told me it wouldn't be the same as having a Kindle.

Soo...

I broke down and got one for graduation! It was waiting on me when we arrived in New York.

I also got a chic yellow leather cover for it. Too fun!

Doesn't it look good nestled in there? I need a picture or something for the clear pocket on the left side.

I couldn't wait to set it up, so when I got a break from the madness of moving, I did just that. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and user friendly it was! Within a matter of minutes, I was reading my first book via eReader.

Another thing that I like about it? I didn't fully understand a word, and I was able to instantly look it up via my Kindle. This was TOO cool, and I think it's an excellent feature.

I am very excited about this contraption, and I am even more excited to read my mom's novel on it! It is due for release on July 1, and I will be ready! I would recommend one of these to any reader out there... they're worth it!



Packing, Visiting, Moving

Things have been busy, busy, busy. I promise to be better at blogging in the days to come. I do have a pretty good excuse as I have just moved across the country, and I don't have my computer just yet. Our items will be delivered tomorrow. Things will be much better after that!

Until then, here's a look into the last week... which has felt like an eternity.

Theodore had minor freak-out moments during packing. He found comfort in me, which made me feel really good. He would stop everything he was doing (i.e. running around like a madman) and curl up by me. It was too sweet.

My family did an amazing job with packing. We couldn't have done it without them. They were stellar, and we appreciate all of their hard work. Now, if only they were here to help unpack! I know my mom is thinking the same thing- they will soon be moving as well. Unfortunately, they won't have the same help that we did. I am sorry I can't be there to help.

Theodore also found a "safe spot" under packing paper. His whole world was turned upside down. Poor thing.

After we had mostly finished packing, the trailer arrived. My brother-in-law came to Cape to help Andrew pack the trailer. We are also very thankful for his help, and it was SO good to spend time with him.

We spent the following two days visiting family. I was pretty excited to have 4 out of 7 nieces and nephews with me to "see me off". I was shocked that I got a picture with all of them, and I was even more surprised that they were all looking at the camera in this picture. I love it!

On Friday, we left our Missouri home as we headed northeast.

We drugged our cat, and we quickly regretted this decision. Apparently this drug does crazy things to their eyes, and for the longest time, his third eyelid was showing. Add that to his miserable cries and scared behavior, and you have pretty upset cat owners. After the medication wore off, he was much better. He spent the last three hours of the trip wide awake and silent. I feel like he was teaching us a lesson... that he COULD be good without drugs.

Once in his new home, he spent the day exploring. He likes the big doors in the living room.

He has also created a cave in a pile of blankets that we threw on the loveseat. Before Andrew left for Missouri, he covered all of our furniture so it would stay clean while our landlords were working on the couch. We threw all of the blankets on the loveseat to watch a movie. I now don't have the heart to put them away just yet as they are helping the goofball adjust to the new home.

I don't think he needs much more time to adjust though, do you? He looks pretty cozy here!

We are ALL adjusting nicely. It is SO NICE to be with my husband, and I am enjoying setting up house. Like I said, all of our things should arrive tomorrow. Andrew is rounding up the troops as we speak, and I am planning a meal to feed everyone. It will be so nice to have our washer and dryer, kitchen supplies, and everything else here.

That's about all that is new. Oh yeah, I have also decided to tackle painting as my next crafting endeavor. Stay tuned for more in that area!