Our Christmas Tree

Drew and I set up and decorated our Christmas tree on Christmas Day. I know this seems super late, and ideally we would have put it up a while ago. We had one Sunday after Thanksgiving that we could have done it, but ended up being too tired. Every weekend after that Drew was out of town and there was no way I was hauling the tree out of the closet and putting it together by myself.

So we did things the old fashioned, traditional way. Christmas is actually a serious of 12 feast days, starting on Christmas Day and extending to January 6th, Epiphany (when we celebrate the Visit of the Magi or Wise Men).

I also had taken all of our Christmas decorations back to my parent's house last year in an effort to declutter our small apartment. I had forgotten this until we got the tree up and had no ornaments to decorate with, but we made do.

This year our tree is decorated with peppermint candy canes, stuffed animals we received for baby Evie, and a paper angel that Drew made. I have to say the angel is pretty awesome! He did a really good job with some paper, scissors, and a bit of tape.

Merry Christmas and Peace to all men! 

26 weeks

Here is my 26 week photo update. We had a great time visiting family this week. I am feeling really good - no serious aches or pains and plenty of energy. I can't believe my second trimester is coming to a close!

I feel her kicking around a lot more often now and even notice little hiccups (they are a very strange rythmic pulsing feeling). I think her little head is pressing down on my sciatic nerve though because I have sharp lower back pain almost all the time now. I need to keep doing my stretches. :)

In the next few weeks I will have my gestational diabetes test (so fun! you get to skip breakfast, down some really nasty sugar orange drink, and then have your blood drawn) and another sonogram to look at her brain development and positioning.

I am getting more excited, but I can't say I am ready for her to make her appearance just yet. I am glad for another 2 1/2 months to read some books, get baby gear organized, and cook some meals to store in the freezer for those first few weeks.

A Simple Christmas Meal

This year Drew and I were able to spend a quiet day together at home for Christmas Day. We slept in, read books, watched movies, played games, set up & decorated our Christmas tree, and made a simple meal for dinner.

We had leftover ribs and pork tenderloin that Drew's granddad had smoked for Christmas Eve. So delicious! Everyone goes crazy over the ribs especially. I felt like we were walking away with precious cargo getting to have so many leftovers. :)

To accompany these we made cornbread, BBQ baked beans, and a new veggie side dish I had wanted to try. We really enjoyed it, especially because it was fairly healthy and easy to make.

Here is the recipe for the veggie side dish.http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/roasted-kabocha-squash-haricots-verts-mushrooms-and-pepitas-recipe/index.html Roasted Kabocha Squash, Haricot Verts, and Mushrooms
It was a little spicy, but perfect with the other parts of the meal. I used butternut squash instead of kabocha, onions instead of mushrooms,  and green beans instead of haricot verts because 1) I'm cheap and 2) I was at Albertson's not a farmers market.

Baby Shower in Sherman

A few weeks ago some friends of ours hosted a shower for us at their home in Sherman. It was really just an excuse for us to get together with close friends and have a relaxing night of socializing. We treasure nights like these because our friends are precious to us and we may not have the same opportunities in the future between moving (God knows where. really. he does.) for residency and a baby.

We asked everyone to bring their favorite children's book so that we could start to build up a library for baby Evelyn (and any future kiddos). Our hosts had each person record themselves reading the book too, so now we have audio files to easily entertain her for years to come. Plus, even if we move far away she will still be able to hear the voices of her aunties and uncles. :)

Thanks for a great night friends!

25 weeks at the baby shower! 

Drew looking serious with his buddy (also soon to be dad) Adam

The Maze Runner - Review

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The library recommended this book in the same vein as Hunger Games. I would say that is pretty accurate - if you liked Hunger Games you will probably like this.
I did grow frustrated (along with the main character) at how little information was known or given, but this seems to be the main basis of the plot. I didn't know it was the start of a series when I checked it out, but my final judgement on the book will depend upon how well the author brings things together and explains the world he has created. Its definitely imaginative and I appreciate the risks he took in story telling. My heart raced in the action parts, but I did not feel as emotionally compelled and connected to the main characters as I did in Hunger Games.


View all my reviews

23 Weeks

Yesterday I marked 23 weeks. I can hardly believe how much our baby girl is growing these days. At this point all her organ systems are developed, she's just filling out and putting on the finishing touches before she comes out to meet us.

Drew and I worked on the registry at Target this past weekend...I think he thought it would be more fun for him than it actually was. I was very impressed with how long he stuck with it and what a great attitude he had about it. :) I just have a few more items to add, and clean out the items we dont really need - its just so fun to use the scan gun they give you. lol.

I am trying to eat healthy this week after lots of delicious Thanksgiving indulgence (so worth it). We had meals with Drew's mom, dad, and my family, plus we took lots of leftovers home. I got back into working out on Friday and have gone to the gym everyday since then. I dont always want to go, but once I get there I am glad I made myself get up off the couch. I definitely notice the rate of my weight gain corresponds to whether I work out consistently or not. So far, so good though. Mainly I am trying to keep my chances of gestational diabetes way down and have a reasonably sized baby (I dont relish the idea of pushing out a 9+ lbs. child).

Here is a look at my growing belly:

 One without the sweater (its gotten really cold here just this week, which for us means 50s)

22 Weeks

Here I am with baby at 22 weeks! I'm over half-way through, can you believe it?

I have a 23 week pic - I think all the good Thanksgiving food I ate helped the bump grow a bit more. :) Hope you had a great Thanksgiving too! We really enjoyed getting to see family and spend some time resting.

Healthy Meal

Saturday night I was very hungry, but not feeling up to cooking an elaborate meal. I have been trying to use Saturday to clean-up, regroup, and organize our home so that I can actually rest and Sabbath on Sundays.

I'm also making it a high priority to eat healthy while I'm pregnant & later breastfeeding. I'm trying to keep our diet filled with lean protein, lots of veggies & fruits, whole grain, and plenty of fluids and fiber. :) I hadn't had salmon in while since just walking by the meat & seafood section at the grocery store made me feel ill up until week 12 or so. I've been wanting to re-incorporate it to our meal schedule.

Here is what we had for dinner on Saturday:

This pregnant momma was so satisfied! I picked up salmon pinwheels stuffed with spinach and feta, baked fresh green beans with Parmesan cheese, and homemade sweet potato fries (also baked and lightly coated with EVOO, salt, pepper, and brown sugar). Apple butter is in the small bowl - its my favorite sweet potato fry condiment (only apples, apple juice, and spices go into it).

It was nice to have a really filling meal after working out hard earlier that afternoon, but also not feel the least bit guilty about indulging in such healthy fare. Do you have a favorite easy, healthy, but satisfying meal?

Our Little Pumpkin at 19 Weeks

I've been away for a while. Sorry about that.

In case you haven't heard...I'm pregnant! Drew and I are thrilled. We have wanted to become parents for a while now and feel like God has gifted us with a wonderful blessing.

The downside was that I was sick at the same time as New Student Outreach (the first 6 weeks of fall semester and quite possibly the busiest season in ministry for staff). So I took a hiatus from non-essentials like blogging, working out, and sometimes eating. :)

I am loving being pregnant now and will try to keep a better update of all our progress and my thoughts. Here is my growing baby bump at 19 weeks:

Its hard to tell in the picture. I'm no where near as big as I will get, but I'm definitely showing now. :)

Step 2 Test down!

Drew goes back to work/school tomorrow (Tuesday). He will start his first of three orthopedic rotations at Scott & White. They each last a month and are expected to be quite grueling days. He will get lots of experience and hopefully some great recommendation letters out of it. We have been enjoying every moment together this summer in preparation for some long seasons where we may only see each other for a few minutes a day.

He took Step 2 of the licensing exams last Thursday. We think it went well, mostly he is glad to have it behind him. :)

So we had the whole weekend to celebrate! We went out to eat on Thursday night with my parents and little brother. We made it into a progressive dinner of sorts and had the ultimate trifecta of Axis power culinary delights - beer at Gordon-Biersch micro-brewery, sushi at Ra Sushi, and gelato at Paciugo. I tried the Sea Salted Carmel (very tasty, but very sweet). I think next time I will go with the coconut my bro got - also very tasty!

Drew thought it might be fun to stuff a tablespoon sized piece of wasabi paste in his mouth all in one go. Thankfully, the cameras were there to catch the funny face he made.

And yes, I am laughing at him. Wouldn't you?

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us in this time. We are both very grateful. Drew was able to sleep well before the test and felt strong about it. We hope you join with us in celebrating too!

Healthy Chicken Salad

I love Chicken Salad - especially in the summer. Its fresh and flavorful and when I grab a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store it requires no heating in my already warm summer kitchen. :) The only thing I didn't like about chicken salad was the fat content of mayonnaise. Its hard to get around....until now.

I came up with a way low-fat, but still creamy and delicious Chicken Salad recipe. Here it is:

Start with juice of  1-2 fresh limes:

To this add 1 small (not Hass), ripe, very soft, but not rotten avocado:

I love avocados. Avocados, plus my next ingredient (another favorite of mine) are the special substitutes for mayo in this dish. Instead of 90 calories per tablespoon of mayonnaise, you get about 8 calories! Add 1 cup plain, no-fat greek yogurt:

And cream all three together. I usually just use a fork. You need the lime juice for two reasons.
1. The avocado will stay a lovely shade of green instead of turning an unattractive shade of brown.
2. The avocado and greek yogurt are just a shade too thick by themselves, but you dont want to use regular yogurt, then it would be too soupy.

Next add all the fixin's:

As you can see I like to put alot of fruits and veggies in mine. They add tons of freshness and flavor. I add:
1. 1/2 minced Granny Smith Apple
2. 1/2 cup halved red grapes
3. 1/2 cup cilantro
4. 1/4 cup pecans or almonds, chopped
5. black pepper, salt, garlic, coriander, and tumeric
After that I carve half the chicken and throw in the shredded meat. Toss it all together.

Toast a ciabatta roll and you have yourself a tasty summer lunch or dinner. I also like to eat the chicken salad with tortilla chips, almost like a dip.

Hot Cross Buns

I made these for Easter but forgot to post them in my Easter update this year.

This is the second time I have made yeast breads of any kind...in my entire life. Unless of course you count the time we made bread in Girl Scouts, which I don't. That and camp were the highlights of Girl Scouts for me, the only other part I remember was paying my dues. I was only 7 but I got the impression the women running our chapter were sticklers for dues and pretty unimaginative in educating your girls. Which is why I was glad when my mom pulled me out after a year.

Anyway, back to the bread. I am really proud of myself for giving it a try AND for them turning out. Everyone loved these things. I learned my lesson the first time I made yeast dough (at Christmas I made Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls, divine!). So I made sure to make a full big batch.

My frosting did not turn out as nice as hers; it was too watery. But they sure were tasty all the same. I worried they might get tough after a day since I made them a day ahead and then brought them up to Dallas, but they stayed delicious and chewy. If you want the recipe you can find it here

I have so many plans for this fall and winter now with yeast breads! The torturous part is that I have to wait because there is NO WAY I am turning my oven on in 100 degree weather when I am already paying to cool our little apartment down. :)

April Adventures with students

Sadly, it has been a while since I posted much of anything about my work with InterVarsity at Baylor University. The spring is an especially busy time for us - we have two regional conferences to prepare for, evangelism & outreach activities, and leadership selection on top of all the usual things we do. So I just didn't get to it like I had planned.

I have been going through my old photos and thought you might enjoy seeing some of the fun we had together back in April. Every year Baylor students get one day off from classes called Diadeloso or "Day of the Bear" for those of you non-Spanish speakers. It "started in 1934 as a way to 'bring smiles to the faces of students' by giving them a break from classes." 


We decided to take advantage of the nice weather and chance to hang out with the whole Baylor community as a fellowship. We met up and had lunch together and then walked around to see the sights. Here are a few pics:

The favorite activity of the day seemed to be the rock wall at the Army tent. :) 

Healthy Meals

I love having healthy meals that are filling and full of flavor. Here is one we had this week that made me happy just looking at it.

Okay, I wasn't satisfied just looking at it, but you know what I mean.

On this menu:
Chipotle marinated and grilled chicken breast
Caribbean spiced black beans
Corn on the cob with chipotle yogurt dip (instead of butter)
Fresh fruit salad

Yum!

Old Jody's

Its a local place. While I would love local to include organic and local produce (there is in fact one place like this in Temple, but I will talk about that one some other time), this particular jewel is all southern fare. And its tasty! Have you ever seen Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives on the Food Network. I dont know if this place has been on there or not, but it should be.

We heard about Old Jody's from Drew's cousin who lives near Temple. They serve hamburgers, chicken fingers, chicken fried steak, fries, onion rings, and fried sweet things that you usually can only find at the Texas state fair. Like fried Oreos, cheesecake, ice cream, and Nutterbutters. Oh my!

The decor is about what you would expect for a place like this. Its not high-end or super clean, but its quaint, comforting, and a salute to Western culture. I like it.

Drew and I went a while back, before I departed for Recweek (say mid-May), but I am just getting the pictures off my phone now. I think we went to celebrate the end of Drew's family medicine rotation. Drew makes the burger he ate look really tasty. :)

Are there any indulgent dives that you love in your neighborhood?

Water for Elephants review

My book review of the bestseller, for any who care...
I have not done book reviews on our blog before because I usually just enjoy reading on my own and keeping my opinions to myself. However, I started a Goodreads account, this book is really popular (to the point that a motion picture was made), and I realized that its probably a good exercise for me to take some time to reflect on what I read. This one did not take much time to reflect on, but I had some strong opinions about it. If you dont want to read it obviously you dont have to...this is more for me.

This book was way over hyped. It opens in a Notebook-esqe manner with a very old man in a nursing home recalling his past. It seemed like a convenient way to get the reader interested in this man and his story but ends up falling flat. It was entertaining and fairly well written. However, the characters really did not grab me and I felt like the story was missing parts. I was just starting to get invested and interested when things started to come to a close. I couldn't tell what the author was trying to say about life or love (if anything). I guess part of it was that I expected this to be a romance, but it was more a story about the depression era circus from a first person point of view. In that respect it was interesting.

*A few spoilers included in descriptions below*

The "heroine" of the tale is not very gripping and I didn't really feel any chemistry between her and the main character, Jacob. She probably has all of 10 lines in the whole book. Its sweet that she likes animals and he likes animals, but I cant really see that being enough to take the risks he does in the plot.

The villain (August) is mentally ill and pitiful. However, it was hard to tell that he was the villain or why until half way through the book when he starts to beat the elephant (this scene actually just made me dislike Jacob all the more because he doesn't do anything about it despite being unhappy because he doesn't want to get kicked off the circus and ruin his chances to be with Marlena, love interest). Up until that point it just seemed like the main character didn't like him because he had an inexplicable attraction to August's wife.

3rd Anniversary!!!

We celebrated our 3rd Anniversary last week.

In the past three years we have usually celebrated by boxing everything up, sweating, moving apartments or even cities and then collapsing in a new place with chaos still around us.

But not this year! This year we will not be moving at all!!! Woohoo! It is the longest we have been in one place since getting hitched and its awesome. It seems indicative of the rest of our marriage relationship too.

We have found a great groove. We love each other. We are each others best friends. And all the other mushy stuff you can think of to say...it really is all true.

I am so thankful that the Lord brought us together. I cannot imagine going through life without my partner. He makes me a better person, woman, staff worker, and friend.

So I thought he deserved a little gift to attempt to express in some small way how much I care about him. I asked him what he wanted (he usually gets me gifts, but doesn't want anything) a good 3 months in advance so he would think about it. He said he wanted...



A gun. :)

We also celebrated our anniversary by going to a big party...for our friends wedding. Its nice when other people throw parties and you get to enjoy them too. :) Their wedding was beautiful and we are really happy for them. I didn't take my camera because I always forget it in the car or forget to take pics anyway.

My parents did snap a pic of us looking spiffy in our formal attire before the wedding though.

Oh, and in case you wondered - I also am getting a gift this year (not unusual as I stated before; Drew is good at spoiling me in this way). I will be getting a nice haircut at a salon and a pedicure, just in time for pool & sandal weather.

Blackened Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken

For us Texans it feels like summer is already here. The flowers are in bloom, kids are getting antsy to be out of school, herbs and vegetables are on sale at the grocery store, the sun is shining...

The sun is shining and making the temperature rise...The sun is shining and making my electric bill go up. Yep, hello summer. I cant say I really missed you.

I am trying not to complain too much about this heat this year. One great thing about the heat is it means its now Grilling Season too. I try to make meals using as little energy in the kitchen as possible. This means Drew becomes my ultimate sous chef as Grill Master!

Tonight we made a big fancy(ier) meal because we thought we had company coming over, but I think the time and date were lost in communication. No problem though, it just means more goodness for us!

And that the apartment got nice and clean. :) I even splurged on some hydrangeas to spruce up our dining room table. Fresh flowers make me happy.

We made Blackened Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken, Bruschetta, and Salad with feta, walnuts, and raspberry vinaigrette.

The recipe for Blackened Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken is:
4 chicken breasts
4 slices Mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1 tsp. chili seasoning
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Take each chicken breast and carefully cut along one side opening up a pocket in the middle for the cheese. Place each chicken breast on wax paper and cover. Pound chicken breasts to thin or make thickness even (this helps them grill evenly and keeps any part from becoming too dry).
Mix together the seasonings in a bowl. Rub onto both sides of each chicken breast.
Gently place mozzarella slices in pockets of chicken breasts.
Grill - I always have Drew to do this part :)

Seriously these were awesome and so easy to make. They did heat up my kitchen at all. The flavoring on the outside was a perfect compliment to the richness of the mozzarella.

For dessert we had Pecan Pie Ice Cream Sundaes. The recipe is from Perfect One-Dish Dinners. I got this cook book for Christmas and use it often.

Easter visit with Family

We got to visit most of our family for Easter this year. Drew had just finished up his Psychiatry rotation and was feeling a little less crazy. You know...crazy.

Sorry I had to do it.

Anyway, we headed up to see my parents on Saturday and Drew's family on Sunday. I really enjoyed lots of good food and not having to cook and clean for the weekend.

I do like cooking...and cleaning too, sometimes, but its nice to go back home and have parent's take care of you again. :)

On the drive back from Nanci's (Drew's mom) we slowed down and stopped to snap a picture:

Its hard to tell since this was with my iPhone camera, but that is a huge field covered in pink Evening Primrose wildflowers. It was really breathtaking. There are several cows out there with a few horses and one little burrow.

In actual fact Evening Primrose, like most wildflowers, is a weed and its actually really bad for the earth and ecosystem of the field...but we ignored that since it was Easter and the flowers were so pretty.

Carnita Tacos

This is a great recipe for a quick and easy meal we had this week. Drew loved these things! And I liked them because it only required making or prepping the ingredients; he had put them together himself. :)

Carnitas:
1.5 lbs beef (any cut you like, I used round because it was on sale at Sam's)
1 Tbs. cumin
1 Tbs. seasoned salt
1 Tbs. black pepper
1 Tbs. chili powder
1/2 Tbs. coriander
2 limes
1/2 Tbs. smoked or regular paprika (have you tried the smoked paprika? Its awesome!)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

I had a whole 3 lb. cut of round roast and I cooked all of it in my slow cooker and used half of it later in the week for Asian BBQ sandwiches (another great recipe for another time).

Place beef in slow cooker and coat generously with seasonings. If you think it needs more, add it. You want the flavor! Then, slice the limes in half, squeeze the juice over the meat and toss the remaining lime halves into the pot. Add in the olive oil too.

Cover and cook 4 or more hours on low. (Although, I think slow cooker times vary...so check yours. Mine cooks things like this too quickly on high, you definitely want this to cook slowly.)

The rest is easy:

1 Large Hass avocado, sliced (just under ripe, you want it still somewhat firm to have nice slices)

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

3 limes, cut into wedges

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

Provolone or Monterrey Jack cheese slices

Tortillas - corn or flour, your preference. I like the corn ones for these, Drew likes the flour. Go figure...:)

Here is what I do. Once the meet is done, take it out and pull it apart using two forks. Set to the side. Or in my case, put the slow cooker tub in the sink to soak.

You know you dont want to mess with cleaning that beast right now.

Slice or cut up all the produce. When you are ready to eat place a slice of cheese on one tortilla and heat for 15 seconds in the microwave then add the meat and other toppings you like.

This is how mine look. Awesome! So tasty!

Coconut Banana Smoothies

I made these luscious smoothies last night to go with dinner. We had breakfast burritos. Love!

I literally handed Drew his glass with a straw stuck in it and about 30 seconds after I sat down with mine I heard that empty straw sucking sound...I thought maybe something was wrong or he didnt like it...

No, he loved it, it was gone. I honestly do not know how he sucked it down that quickly but he enjoyed those 30 seconds. :) I savored mine for a full 5 minutes at least. :)

Here is the recipe:

In a blender combine:
2 small bananas (ripened to your preference)
1 can light coconut milk
1 cup Greek yogurt, plain 0% fat
2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
This makes enough for 2 generous glasses. I stuck mine in the freezer for a few minutes after blending, so they were ready to serve and icy cold when we finished our burritos.

Hope you enjoy!

New Church

I mentioned before that we have found a church we like. We have decided to commit to this place. Its called Dayspring Baptist Church.

It is located in Waco, where Baylor University is located. So its a 30-45 minute drive from our home. We think its worth it though. We also found out that there are a few other people living in Temple who attend Dayspring. We will have to connect with them. So far its been nice to get up a little earlier on Sunday morning and have time to talk with Drew or read aloud together before and after church.

I also attended a women's group last week on Wednesday evening. It worked out well since Wednesdays I am on campus all day, so I was already in town and took a few hours off to spend time in pray and reflection. It was great. :)

spoiling myself

We had strawberry shortcake for dessert tonight. Every inch of it was homemade and delicious.

Sabbathing

Do you keep the Sabbath? 

Keep the Sabbath day holy.
      Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,
   but enjoy the Sabbath
      and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.
   Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
      and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
Then the Lord will be your delight.
      I will give you great honor
   and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
      I, the Lord, have spoken!

Lately I have been mindful that this is an important spiritual discipline...more than that even if you want to take these words seriously (which I sure do). 

I used to do this pretty regularly and I probably take one day off in seven on average anyway. What I realized though is that I dont put much effort or forethought into that "day off." So thats all it becomes a day off, away from, as if I am pulling away from all the things that define me, define my life, my identity. And I realized thats pretty sad. And thats not the way Sabbath is supposed to work. 

Sometimes I have to be a staff worker to myself. :) 

Often I am so burnout and exhausted from work...or lets face it, home (Do any of you ever think you need a day just to catch up on "homework"? I wish I could get paid for doing laundry, dishes, or grocery shopping) that I end up collapsing onto the couch and spending my "day off" watching TV, all day. 

Sure I get up to feed myself and my husband, go work out, check my email. But its like I put life on hold and by the end of the day I don't usually feel particularly rested, maybe just less eager to watch TV. 

Dont get me wrong...I'm not saying TV is bad...thats probably a whole other conversation saved for later. 

This is what I realized and have been reflecting on the last week: 

The Israelites were freed from captivity in Egypt by the Lord, and when he led them into the wilderness he established some rules. Rules to live by, not to perish or die by. He also provided for their every need. Seriously, sometimes I wish manna was deposited on my front doorstep (again, can I get anyone to do my grocery shopping for me?)

God told the Israelites to gather just enough for each day, except the day before Sabbath. They were instructed to gather enough for two days before the Sabbath, so that they could rest and eat (since God practices what he preaches and observes the Sabbath himself by not sending manna that day). 

When I go about each day I gather more than I need...seriously, you should see my to-do lists. I know every time I make a new one for a new day there is way more on that thing than I can honestly or realistically get done. But I try to bite it off anyway. Not good. I gather more manna than I need, and it rots away. I depend upon the Lord to help me get through the week and harvest what little seeds I plant. *I know this is not a perfect one-to-one correlary or a perfect scriptural interpretation, but  its what stuck with me.* 

But I have not planned for my Sabbaths, at all, whatsoever. I do not depend upon the Lord on this day. I hardly even give it a thought. (You should see my calendar - so much crap! - but not one day marked as rest.) I do not plan when it will be or give careful thought to how I will spend that rest. 

I am not saying I should plan out every aspect of my Sabbath. I'm a planner by nature...I already know a rest from planning is called for on my Sabbath day. :) But if I don't give at least a general, broad kind of preparation...if I don't gather my manna the day before...I will continue to starve each and every time that seventh day comes around. 

Starving yourself every seventh day may not kill you, but I know its not pleasant, and being married to a medical student I am pretty sure it could lead to some kind of medical ailment. 

So I've tried to start gathering enough...each day. Not too much on my plate during the week, and giving some forethought to that seventh day. I started using this resource:  http://examen.me/ and Drew and I have found a church we love that has been teaching us alot about spiritual discipline. Its been a great way to embrace rest each Sunday. 

Give me your thoughts...

so much for once a week...

So clearly I have not been keeping up with my desire to blog once a week. It looks like March simply ceased to exist here. In reality it was a month of extremes - extreme relaxing, unplugging, and vegging with my husband and extreme work schedule catching up after all that relaxing! All good stuff though.

I am planning to get back into our blog. I have a few posts I am preparing today. So check back this weekend for more :)

"Girl's Night"

Okay, so this post is nothing seriously exciting, but I have been "planning" to blog for a while now - in keeping with my New Year's resolution to post at least once a week. But, every time I think of writing something I feel like I dont have enough time for a well written & exciting post.

But, this is a blog, not my submission to a literary magazine and like my high school English teacher said - if nothing really inspiring is just flowing from my pen I should just start writing whatever is there...

So here is whats up in the Kelly Home tonight:

Drew is on call until 11pm. He had not been on call for a while, which was AWESOME because we were able to have dinner together and hang out at night. In an effort not to feel sad and lonely and instead make use of this alone time I decided to have a girls night...by myself. :)

Before you start feeling sorry for me consider that I am an introvert, but extrovert ALOT for my job. I love meeting new students and having conversations with people, but after a week of that I really need some me-time.  Although, I do love having actual Girl's Nights with other people.

This had all the highlights of a GN for me, sans girlfriends... excessive baking, eating my weight in junk food, and a feel-good chic flick.

I made my take on The Pioneer Woman's "Best Coffee Cake. Ever" I added blueberries and substituted a 1/3 of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat. So you know, I got some fruit and fiber. Who says my excessive baking and junk food cant be healthy? Because you know whole wheat flour and blueberries (along with 3 sticks of butter and 3 cups of varied sugars) is good for your health. :) I will probably regret my choice to make this tomorrow seeing as how the cake is larger than an 9x13 pan...what would that be a 10x14?

Not wanting to be totally self-absorbed I also baked some pumpkin cranberry muffins, which I have been meaning to bake all week. Poor Drew has been subsisting off of HEB flour tortillas and yogurt for breakfast all week and gets hungry 2 hours after that.

I rented Easy A from Redbox when I went grocery shopping earlier today. I love having a Redbox right outside my grocery store. I really liked it. It was the perfect light-hearted and intelligently funny film I was hoping for tonight.

Drew finished his call as I was writing this, so he is home now...singing in the shower actually. :) I really enjoyed my Girls Night, but I am really glad to have my handsome husband home.

Pea Pesto!

I am a huge fan of hiding vegetables.

I know I sound weird. We are supposed to consume 2.5-3 cups of veggies a day. I dont know about you, but that is generally pretty hard for me to do on any given day. Fruit I can do. Fruit I really love - I can have it raw, bake into a muffin or scone, blend it into a delicious smoothy, or make a salad. Veggies are harder for me to consume by themselves.

So I have taken to doing for myself what many moms do for their kids - I hide it. I know its in there, but its jazzed up a bit, and therefore far more satisfying. :)

Dinner last night is a great example.

I made a recipe for Sausage and Tortellini soup, but added half a bunch of kale chopped up. It was tasty, an added serving of veggies, and cheap! (Kale is super inexpensive and filling at the same time).

But this was not enough for me, oh no, I was watching Giada De Laurentiis on Food network while I was at the gym last week and saw this little jewel of a recipe. Pea Pesto Crostini. I thought immediately, "that is a perfect recipe for us." I am sorry I didn't take a picture, but I will tomorrow (there are leftovers for lunch!). I piled our toasted ciabatta bread high with pea pesto for another serving of green veggie. What better way to down 1/2 cup of peas than with ciabatta, parmesan cheese, and olive oil?

I highly suggest hiding your vegetables if you are wanting to up your daily intake. :)

Blueberry Muffins Part II

Just thought you might want to know, the Blueberry Muffins turned out great. So great in fact that they are all gone! I will definitely be making more soon.

Here is my recipe if you would like to make them, its a variation on this one

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2-3 tsp. orange zest (whatever you get from a small orange)
2 tsp. baking powder (I like them fluffy)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (dont forget, lol!)

1 stick butter, softened (this is the worst part, everything else is healthy)
3/4 cup sugar (I am going to try just 1/2 cup next time, they were plenty sweet with the blueberries)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
sugar, ground flaxseed, or granola

Stir all dry ingredients together, except blueberries. Gently add blueberries to dry ingredients (unless they are frozen, like mine, and you can be more firm). Preheat oven to 350. Cream together butter and sugar. Add one egg at a time until thoroughly combined. Add milk to wet mixture. Add wet mix to dry and gently fold together. Spray muffin tin and distribute batter evenly. Top each with your choice of sugar, flaxseed (good source of protein and omega-3), granola or whatever else you think you might like. Bake for 25-30min. Turn out to cool 2-3 minutes after removing from oven.

Blonde Moment

I was just making up a batch of Blueberry Muffins in the kitchen and had a real blonde moment. I was trying a new recipe (I have yet to find a blueberry muffin recipe I really like that is not from a box and uses real blueberries) and talking to Drew while he was working out (don't we sound like an over-achiever couple? sorry).

I got distracted and forgot to put in one ingredient...I bet you can guess what it is.










The Blueberries.


I would like to chalk it up to being totally distracted by my husband's rippling muscles flexing as he lifted weights...he is pretty hunky. ok sorry, but really, it was me having a blonde moment. I gave him a real scare when 5 minutes after putting the muffins in the oven and cleaning up the dishes I gasped in realization of what I had done. He thought the oven was on fire. :)

I quickly took them out and tried to stuff some blueberries into the individual muffin tins. I put them back in the oven and had a good laugh about it, until 15 minutes later when my REALLY blonde moment occurred to me. I had turned off the oven when I took the pan out to add the blueberries, set the timer, but forgot to turn the oven back on.

So, here is a pic of how they turned out. I have not tasted them yet (they are for breakfast tomorrow). However they taste I think, to be fair, I will have to try this recipe again.

Hope youre keeping it as honest as I am (but maybe a little less blonde). ;)

At Home

As much as I like to think of myself as a really great multitasker, I am really more of a work-hard-get-one-big-project-done-at-a-time kind of a gal.

So, I have been saving up a bunch of posts on cooking and baking. While I had some time at home over Christmas and New Years I enjoyed being able to cook and bake at a leisurely pace. It really is one of my favorite things. And I had several new cookbooks to try out. Drew had to rein me in around the second week when I was getting ready to try my hand at shortbread cookies, gingerbread men, and mexican wedding cookies (snowballs).

Men.

They just dont understand the fairer sex's obsession with sugary baked goods...and a close second, feeding people.

He is concerned with things like health and weight management. Bah!

No, really I am glad that my husband really enjoys my cooking AND helps me make wise, healthy food decisions. To be fair, I had already made two desserts the week before and we had just returned from Christmas with family (can you say Coconut Cream pie? how about Cinnamon Rolls?)

Anyway, expect to see a few recipe reviews, dinner suggestions, baked goodies, and the like on here the next few days. I hope they inspire you to make something new or just enjoy being in the kitchen. I know I need a pick me up every once in awhile.

What the?!?

What the heck! I come back home from an InterVarsity staff conference in St. Louis expecting to find some more reasonable weather and  my Google homepage says its currently 18F outside!! Darn it!!!

I drove Drew to the hospital at 8am this morning and it was NOT pleasant. Even inside, where I have been working on a few things here at home (planning retreats, Bible studies, and prayer meetings) I am wearing 4 layers to remain in working order. Think

I dont particularly enjoying sweating all through the summer months in Texas, and I do enjoy when it gets cold enough to dig my scarves and mittens out of the back of the closet, but seriously the teens?

I dont think I can handle this much longer. Please pray for it to warm up...or dont expect me to move out from under my blanket and Weezer snuggie or go anywhere outside the apartment. Drew might just have to find himself a way home this afternoon, because I definitely do not want to go out again.

;) Just kidding, you know I wouldn't leave him there by himself...but it might require this kind of preparation:

Hope you are warmer than I am.

Christmas Traditions

Since we are a young family (going on 2.5 years!) we think often about the traditions and routines we want to start and what value/meaning they have. Christmas is definitely a season I think a great deal about what traditions to adopt and what to say no to. There is just so much to consume even on this level during this season! Its hard to know what to accept, what to adopt, and what to reject.

This year we got an artificial Christmas tree (thank you Grandma Judy!) which is beautiful and doesn't cause Drew to sneeze. :) After learning more about the traditional Christian liturgical year and holidays (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, etc) reading Living the Christian Year by Bobby Gross (IVP) there was one tradition in particular I wanted to adopt.

You see, Christmas is actually preceded by Advent - traditionally a season of waiting & hopeful expectancy. Advent was often commemorated by fasting, simple living, and definitely no celebratory parties or decorations.

So I decided that at home we would celebrate Advent by putting up our Christmas tree, but waiting to decorate it until Christmas Day. Christmas is not just one day, but a season of 12 days (hence the song) lasting until January 6th. Having our Nativity scene figurines out and a bare Christmas tree was a great reminder of what was coming, but not yet here.

This might seem sad, but it really changed my perspective. As Christmas neared more and more decorations went up around us, the frenzy to buy more increased, and seeing all this my expectation was not heightened but halted, consumed even. There were few places outside my own home where I felt I could find that quiet.

I think, as a well-off well-educated 21st century American I often rob myself of waiting, expectancy, and quiet. I can have or get anything I want at anytime - even Christmas...even the Savior?

There is good reason Jesus made himself in the form of man and moved into our neighborhood as a babe. He had to take the same 9 month journey in his mother's womb that we all do. Mary and Joseph had to wait for this promised child. Israel had to wait for him for hundred's of years.

I think of how often people lement missing that "childish" feeling of expectancy on Christmas morning because the magic of Santa is gone or we know what is under the tree or we know there are no more surprises. But what if the magic is still there? what if there were surprise gifts for each of us under the tree each and every year?

I think there are. I think the magic is in Jesus' birth, the fact that the most powerful being in all the universe chose to become a lowly infant to Middle Eastern parents who would soon be refugees so that we might know how vast his love is. And I think there is a gift for us each year, each day, that no one can change - God loves you.

I think too often I let my desire, my want, and greed to take away my own opportunity to wait. And that is when the surprise is lost. I lose out on the opportunity for the Lord to speak to me anew, to reveal his love for me, in his way, in his time.

Thanks for Advent Lord. Thank you for knowing I need to wait on you.

Here is our celebration, and offering of thanks to the Lord on Christmas Day 2010: