The Holiday Season

Robert and I are officially the new job couple.  I'm up and running at my new job.  There is a lot to learn.  Am I the only one who thinks, "I'M NEVER GOING TO LEARN ALL OF THIS!" every time you have to learn something new?  It's so ridiculous because I always learn it, but alas.  I feel like I irritate everybody with my constant questions, but it's better to learn everything and receive clarification early on I suppose.  Robert is at his first day of training right now.  He is the newest assistant at American Pride.  We are very very excited about this position!  He will continue to work about 20 hours a week.

Have I mentioned lately just how much I love our Sunday School class?  Our teachers are so wonderful!  Jason is great at bringing the Word and instructing us, and Andrea makes me feel so special and important.  I love our monthly socials, too.  In November we had a Thanksgiving brunch.  Yum-o!  This Saturday we're all having a yard sale.  It'll probably be cold, but I know it will be fun!  And it's always nice to have friends to do a garage sale with, because I always feel like I have stuff to get rid of but not enough to warrant my own garage sale.

I can't remember if I ever mentioned that Robert officially got accepted into the ADVANCED MDiv program.  He is so smart and such a hard worker!  This will allow him to complete seminary in a total of 2 1/2 years instead of 3 years.  Thumbs up for saving a semester's worth of tuition!  I'm not totally looking forward to packing up and moving in the dead of winter, but it doesn't ever get too insanely cold here, and we'll get to move before Christmas which means this is our last Christmas here! It's kinda crazy/fun/scary to think that at this time next year we could be packing up to move to the other side of the country/state/world.  I'm still rooting for Bolivar, but I know God will take care of it all.

We spent Thanksgiving in Alabama with Robert's dad's side of the family.  Robert had just been there in June, but I hadn't been since two years ago at Thanksgiving.  Too long!  We enjoyed some time at the beach, yummy food, and catching up with his relatives.  We celebrated Christmas with Robert's dad.  I'm all for multiple Christmas celebrations. :)  It's definitely a new concept for me though.  I'm used to just having one big celebration with my parents, brother, and grandparents.  This year we did Christmas in Alabama during Thanksgiving.  In mid December Robert and I will have our own Christmas, and then we will head to the Midwest to do Christmas for real with my family, and then we'll do a New Years Christmas with R's mom's side of the fam.  Fun fun fun!

Robert's awesome new cell phone that he got for Alabama Christmas!  And I'm loving my new tablet!

Enjoying some time at the bird sanctuary at Dauphin Island

Aunt Tammy and Uncle Paul had an awesome bonfire while we were in town!

It was seriously freezing the whole time we were in town

 When we got home we finished decorating for Christmas by purchasing our tree for the year.  We got a real tree last year and continued the tradition this year.  Last year I had thought that we should get a real tree that way we could just dispose of it at the end of the year instead of trying to find a place to store an artificial tree.  While that is a very good reason to get a tree, I've learned that I just like having a real tree in general.  It's really not nearly as much maintenance as I had expected.

I love our tree!  What are some of your personal favorite ornaments?

Date night

A week and a half ago Robert and I got to have such a fun date night.  Robert's cousin Michael is in charge of all the screens that Jason Aldean has up on stage during his concerts.  The tour came to Raleigh last Friday, and we got to go.  Robert and I aren't huge country music fans, and the only Jason Aldean song I know is the one he did with Kelly Clarkson, but the night was so much fun!  It was a beautiful evening, and the concert was outside.  Michael met us once we got there and took us behind the scenes.  We got to go on the stage and look around, see the tour buses, and play some corn hole with one of his co-workers.  We even got to sit in the sound booth with Michael during the concert.  How cool is that?

I have known Robert for 3.5 (or 5.5 years depending on who you ask) and I had never gotten to meet Michael before.  He was so nice!  Here are some of the pictures to capture our evening.

It was definitely a cultural experience.  The second we pulled in we saw I guy peeing on a tree.  There were so many people tailgating before the concert.  There were people doing typical tailgating things - corn hole, BBQ, etc.  But then there was another game where people were hammering a nail into a tree stump.  Robert and I are assuming that is only entertaining after you've had several beers.  There was also an RV that had karaoke going on.  That seemed to be quite a hit.  I felt rather out of place as far as what we were wearing.  I think we were the only people who didn't have on plaid or cowboy boots.  But it was seriously so much fun. 

Amy Elizabeth and the terrible horrible no good very bad weekend

Do you ever have one of those days/weeks where everything just goes wrong?  Nothing particular catastrophic happens, but everything just seems off.  This weekend was one such time.  So let's recap this series of unfortunate events.

My phone has been incredibly slow for MONTHS.  It freezes, it takes several minutes to open an app, etc.  The phone isn't technically broken so I can't bring myself to buying a new one.  It still makes phone calls so that's good.  My sweet husband was working on trying to make my phone faster.  So on Thursday night he was messing around and accidentally deleted every single one of my contacts.  300+ contacts that have taken 7 years to accumulate went out the window.  The plus side - my phone is definitely fast now.  The down side - I have 10 contacts.  Apparently I never memorized very many phone numbers.  It hadn't been too much of a pain until...

I burned my hand, Robert was at work, I didn't have a car, and I didn't know anyone's phone number so I couldn't call for help.  How did the burn happen?  Well, Robert worked from 4:00pm-1:30am yesterday.  Yuck!  So I was bored and decided to do some baking.  We have the most temperamental oven.  Robert and I consider ourselves to be above average cooks/bakers, but almost everything we make in our stupid oven turns out raw and fried to a crisp.  So I took my muffins out 5 minutes early and they were completely charred a ruined.  As if that doesn't stink enough, I hit my hand on the 350 degree oven rack.  I was turning on the exhaust fan over the stove to get rid of the smokey smell and I managed to scrape my hand on the corner of the hood and get a pretty nice gash.

I just don't think this picture does it justice.

So I wanted to get some burn cream (burn not pictured), but we let somebody borrow ours in May and haven't seen it since then.  I walked to a friend's apartment but she wasn't home.  I didn't have her phone number because, you guessed it, all my contacts got deleted.  And Robert wasn't going to be home for another 8 hours.

On Saturday we had tried making cookie bars for Sunday School.  The edges ended up charred and the inside was raw.  We ended up buying doughnuts...This was right after I had gotten home from the grocery store and realized we didn't have any onions and I had forgotten to buy more.

On Sunday Robert got to church to warm up for the band and realized his guitar's 9-volt battery was dead and his cable had gone kaput.  Thankfully, somebody randomly had a 9-volt battery (apparently I'm the only one who doesn't keep 9-volts handy?) and Robert had another cable at home that he was able to get and use for the 2nd and 3rd services.


This entire weekend was made so much better by the fact that I threw out my back.  My back had felt a little off all week, but I woke up from a nap on Saturday afternoon and could hardly move.  Robert had to prop me up.  I tried ice, heat, stretching, not moving.  Nothing has helped so far.  Maybe a trip to the doctor is in order soon.

Do you ever have those days/weeks that are just off?

Happy birthday to me!

I had such a great birthday on Sunday!  My parents had been in town last weekend which was a wonderful birthday present.  Robert did an awesome job of finishing all of his homework for the weekend by the time I got home on Friday.  That was a huge present because it meant we could have fun all weekend without him having needing to study at all.

On Saturday we went to The Olde English Tea Room for lunch.  It was delicious, per usual.  They have their shopped open downstairs.  Right now they are working on clearing out the inventory from the previous owner so everything is 25% off.  Once those items are gone they will restock the store with new inventory starting in October.  We will definitely have to go back once that happens.

Next we went over to The Giving Tree.  This is seriously one of the coolest stores.  It's a thrift store, but all of the profits go to Wake county schools.  It's an old house that they've turned into a store.  It's very clean and well-organized.  We ended up purchasing two games that were still in their original wrapper, and they were only $1 each.  We will definitely be going back.

We rounded out the day by getting all caught up on Grey's Anatomy.  I never thought I'd live to see the day that Robert would watch this show with me, but this summer he watched the entire series with me and loved it!  Now we're ready for the season premier this month.  After that, I got to take a nap while Robert cleaned the kitchen and made homemade pizza.  Yum!

Our church started a new budgetary year on September 1, and we started a new three year initiative on September 8 - I like to think of that as my birthday party.  So on the 7th we had a 24 hour prayer vigil.  Sunday School classes signed up for one hour time slots, and our class got 9:00-10:00pm.  I can't say that I've prayed for an hour straight many times, but it was a cool experience.  We had printouts of very specific prayers.  Praying specific prayers is something Pastor has been teaching us lately.  You can tell God your specific prayers.  "God, we want to see 100 people baptized this year," instead of "God, let a lot of people get baptized."  I believe that God hears both prayers, but it's definitely a different way to think about prayer.  We finished up the experience by partaking in the Lord's Supper.

On Sunday morning I woke up and Robert was already at church, but I found a very thoughtful note from Robert awaiting me.  I got all fancied up and was ready to go when Robert came back to pick me up.  Right when we got to Faith I saw Andrea, our Sunday School teacher.  She was waiting for me with a birthday card and a huge hug.  We haven't known her and her husband for long, but I can seriously say they are some of the most loving people I've ever met.  They make me feel so special and cared for.  They are great listeners and truly love us.  Andrea had asked Robert what kind of treat I wanted for Sunday School.  Robert said anything with chocolate chips - he knows me well.  So chocolate chip muffins were our treat for the day - delicious!  I had a few other people tell me happy birthday as I walked into the sanctuary.  So sweet!  It's really crazy to think about how many people we've met and become friends with since my last birthday.  Last year I'm pretty sure the only person who acknowledge my birthday in North Carolina was Robert.  When I got to Sunday School Robert had some gorgeous flowers with a note set up for me and the class sang happy birthday to me.  We had a Sunday School Social after class.  It was awesome!  The food was delicious, the children were adorable, we watched football, and they sang happy birthday to me again.  Andrea had made a delicious dessert - brownies with chocolate chip cookies baked on top.  So awesome!

When Robert and I got home we opened presents.  Robert got me a bunt pan, my parents got me a cover for our Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer (they had already taken me on a shopping spree last weekend), and Serina got me a super cool coloring book.  She took 40 or so of our favorite pictures and turned them into coloring pages.  How cool is that?  Then I talked on the phone with Mom and Dad, Serina, Bethany, Ray, Grandma and Grandpa, Jim, and Facetimed with Memaw and Pepaw.  I also got countless birthday texts and Facebook messages.  Then we took another nap.  No birthday is complete without a nap, if you ask me.  Robert made dinner and then we have five friends over for dessert and Wii games.  One couple got me the book Love Does.  I've read two chapters so far, and it's really good!

On Monday I got a couple more cards, some birthday money, and I coworker brought me a cupcake so I got to keep the celebration going! 

So I'm 23 now.  In my mind I'm still thinking I'm 22, but it'll catch up with me eventually.  I've just been reflecting on when I started high school.  That was almost a decade ago.  9 years.  It's incredible to think about how much happens in a decade...a year...a day.

Warmth by Leigha

My dear friend Leigha has a new craft store called Warmth by Leigha.  You can visit her store (link above) or go to Facebook to check her out.  Go on, do it!

Labor Day

Robert is off to a good start in his second year of seminary.  This semester he is taking New Testament: Jesus and the Gospels, Philosophy, Bible Exposition, and Supervised Field Ministry.  For the field ministry he will be doing an internship with the music minister at our church.  I'm taking a church history class at the seminary as well.  It works out perfectly because it's at the same time and in the same building as Robert's philosophy class so we get to ride together.  History isn't my fave subject, but the class is going well so far.

Happy first day of school!

I got to go to my first ever watermelon festival a few weeks ago.  We have had two other couples from SBU move out here since we moved - one came last July and one came this summer.  The six of us met up and went to a watermelon festival.  It was awesome!  A parade, craft booths, watermelon eating competition, food trucks, rides.  We didn't do any rides - too expensive BUT Robert did compete in the watermelon eating contest.  He didn't win, but he got a participant ribbon. :)

Mom's birthday was at the end of August.  I hate missing special events and celebrations!  But Dad did text me a few pictures from the party.

This weekend we had the pleasure of hosting my parents.  It was so great!  We ate lots of good food, went shopping, they got to come to church and see Robert play in the band, played games, and just enjoyed being together.  Not excited about the fact that we won't see them again until Christmas.

Robert and Dad enjoyed golfing together

Dinner at Simply Crepes

Dessert at The Dairy Depot

Dinner at Girasole

Summer Wrap Up

The summer is coming to an end which is hard to believe considering just Saturday it was 103 degrees.  It's weird to think it's almost fall when it doesn't start to get cool here til late October.  I still remember wearing sweatpants to the state fair in mid October and regretting my outfit choice the entire time.

New people are gradually trickling into the apartment complex.  Actually, there aren't as many new people here as I had expected.  At the end of last school year our building had 6 empty units and 6 occupied units.  So far one couple moved in but left immediately to go back to Georgia to get married and haven't come back yet, another couple moved in but aren't really new as they just moved from another unit in our neighborhood, and then another unit has a couple that just moved here from Korea.  We haven't met any of these people yet.  I think they're hiding. ;)  Oh yeah, another family moved in at the start of June - when she was 39 weeks pregnant.  Crazy!  So we still have a couple of empty units.  Hopefully we can meet all of these people soon!  I know I hated being new and not having anyone come and introduce themselves to us.  I don't want to be like that to these new people.  We really have tried.  It's just that I'm at work all day, and when I get home nobody's car is here.

This summer has also included rain, rain, and more rain.

Robert officially finished summer school on August 2 - just in time to enjoy two weeks of vacation before starting up a new school year.  He completed six hours of classes this summer which I think is pretty impressive!  I'm thankful that Robert and I are able to make it possible for him to take extra classes over summer and Jan term.

Robert is in full swing with work at Applebee's.  He seems to have gotten into a groove there.  He is primarily working lunch shifts now which we really like because that allows him to be home in the evening while I'm at home.  Hoping his school schedule and work schedule will mesh well for the fall semester.  Robert is also Faith Baptist Church's newest intern.  Holler!  He will be interning for our music minister, and we are very excited about this!

We enjoyed a lovely visit with Robert's grandparents in July.  We also got to meet up with one of Robert's uncles and cousin.  Lots of fun!

Golfing on the course where Arnold Palmer used to golf in college

We've been trying to squeeze in some fun activities before Robert starts up school again.  Last week we had some friends over for dinner, went out for ice cream with another family, and then went to the beach this weekend.  The beach was CRAZY!  Apparently we weren't the only ones trying to squeeze in some last minute fun.  Thankfully, we didn't have much of an agenda so it wasn't a big deal that traffic was awful.  We both managed to get sunburns so I guess the beach trip was a success.  And Robert found a pair of Oakley sunglasses floating in the ocean so that was sweet.

And a shout out to Robert Clark - we marked 2 years since he asked me to marry him on August 8!

What I've Done - Crock Pot cream cheese chicken chili

Who doesn't love a good Crock Pot recipe that you can put together before work and have waiting for you when you get home? This is definitely my old stand by for fall and winter. Here you go:

3 chicken breasts, still frozen
2 cans Rotel tomatoes
1 bag of frozen corn
1 can each of kidney beans, pinto beans, and black beans, drained and rinsed
1 t garlic powder
1 T cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t onion powder
Any additional items to bring the heat like jalapeño or hot sauce, add to taste
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese
_________
Put the chicken in the crock pot.
Top with the tomatoes, corn, the drained and rinsed beans, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder.  Stir to combine.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Remove the chicken, shred, add back to Crock Lot and add in cream cheese. Heat until cream cheese is melted.
Yields 8 servings (This can easily be halved by only using one can of beans and reducing all the other ingredients. Keeps in the refrigerator well.)

I think it's safe to say that I like this recipe even better than regular chili.  So good!

What I've Done - Kale

Go out and buy some kale right now.  I bought a huge bag recently and froze it in smaller bags and it took forever to go through.  $5 well spent, if you ask me.  My two favorite things I've done with kale so far would have to be making kale chips and using it for a soup broth.

Kale chips:
Spread kale onto a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and salt, bake in oven at 300.  Bake for 10 minutes, toss, bake for another 10 minutes or until nice and crunchy.  Easy peasy!  And you can eat a ton of it without filling up and it's so healthy.  One cup of chopped kale contains 33 calories and 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C, and a whopping 684% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.  I've now introduced you to your new favorite snack.  You're welcome.

Green Chicken Soup:

• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 bunch kale, chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced (I left out mushrooms because, well...I hate them.)
• 1 cup shredded chicken (optional, though nice)

1. Place chicken stock in a soup pot over medium heat, reserving 2 cups stock
2. Take reserved stock and blend it with kale in a vitamix, until smooth and creamy
3. Pour kale-stock mixture into pot of chicken stock
4. Add carrots and mushrooms (and shredded chicken if you have it)
5. Cook for 30 minutes, or until carrots are tender
6. Serve

Yum yum yum yum yum!

What I've Done - Loaded breakfast biscuits

Okay, so I didn't actually make this one, but my sweet husband did and they were awesome!  It sounds like quite a bit of work so it's probably one of those special occasion sort of meals.

Stuffed breakfast bubble biscuits

Can of biscuits

Shredded Cheese (I had Mexican style on hand)

Frozen Shredded Hash Browns

1 package of Cooked Bacon

6 Scrambles Eggs

 

Stuff biscuits with all the fixings and bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes.  Boom!  And who doesn't love breakfast for supper?

What I've Done - Apple cinnamon chimichangas

 Another good one!  We had a bunch of apples to use up, and sometimes you just want something sweet!  This was pretty easy and very fun to make together.

Apple cinnamon chimichangas
4 apples, chopped
1 1/2 c water
1/4 c cornstarch
3/4 c sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1 T lemon juice
Combine everything but apples in saucepan, bring to boil, cook for 3 minutes until the mixture becomes thick.  Add in apples and simmer til tender (about 10 minutes).

8-10 flour tortillas
1/2 c sugar
1 T cinnamon
Mix together in another bowl

Fill tortilla with filling, fry in a 1/2 inch of oil (about 30 seconds on each side).  Remove and roll in cinnamon sugar.

Ice cream with this is a MUST!

What I've Done - Menu Board

How many ladies out their have kids and/or husbands who constantly say, "What's for dinner?"  I know you just answered YES.  So here's your solution - a menu board.  There's also a piece of paper or plain old marker board to write on, but why not make your menu board your newest kitchen decoration?  You can pick up an 8 in 1 picture frame at Wal-Mart for a few dollars.  I just so happened to have one sitting under my bed so it was basically free.  I put a piece of scrapbook paper in each frame.  I used brown and blue paper to match our kitchen.  We bought that scrapbook paper for our wedding and decided to decorate our kitchen in our wedding colors and reuse some wedding decorations to decorate our kitchen so it worked out really well.  Anyway, this allowed me to use up some more of the wedding scrapbook paper.  I wrote a day of the week on each piece of paper as well as "R & A" on the 8th piece of paper and then put the paper in the frames.  At the start of each week I get out my dry erase marker and write out the menu for the week.  This helps Robert ask me what we're having for dinner less, but the best part is that it helps him know what I want us to have for dinner each night so he can make dinner.  Major score if you ask me!  Robert even voluntarily hung it up in our dining room.  I have a keep, I tell ya!

What I've Done - Cleaning your washer and dryer

Washers and dryers are supposed to be clean, right?  After all, it's the place where you CLEAN your clothes.  Washers and dryers can actually be super grimy and icky.  Here are my tips for keeping your washer and dryer squeaky clean

1. Wipe the outside of your appliances - Wipe off that nasty soap residue from the time your detergent leaked.  Wipe down all the knobs.
2. Clean out your lent trap - Take out the lent.  Wash the screen with soap and water.  You'll know it's clean when the water runs through it instead of beading up on top.  Now get your vacuum attachment and vacuum out the trap area.  I found a few guitar picks and a dime.  Score!
3. Wipe down drum pieces - Did you know that the bleach cup comes out and you can wipe it down?  I had no idea.  There was lots of nice mildew-y stuff where the cup had been.  You can also take off the top piece of the agitator and wipe it down really nice.
4. Run your washer with nothing in it - Use the hottest water setting, put in a cup of vinegar, allow it to fill and then agitate for one minute.  Soak for an hour.  Run through the rest of the cycle.  Now do the same thing but use a cup of bleach this time.  My agitator was totally white again and didn't have grey scummy stuff on it anymore.

I've also heard that you're supposed to clean out your hose, but that sounded a bit complicated to me so I skipped that.  Let me know how it turns out for you!

What I've Done - Coconut Oil

Okay, you guys.  I have a beauty secret to share.  I recently discovered the magic of coconut oil.  I already knew that I liked cooking with it, but now I like using it for pampering myself.  All you have to do is heat up two spoonfuls of coconut oil for 30 seconds in the microwave.  massage the oil into your scalp, hair, and split ends.  Two spoonfuls was the perfect amount for my thick, shoulder length hair, but of course you might need to adjust the amount accordingly.  I pinned up my hair with a clip and headband and went about my business for two hours.  I proceed to wash my hair, cover it in conditioner (usually I just put it on my split ends, but this time I put it everywhere), and washed it again.  It is silky smooth!  Seriously.  I can't stop touching it.  I feel like I have fewer split ends, or at least they're less pronounced now.  My hair is super soft, and it's not nearly as frizzy.  You've got to try it right now!

What I've Done - Peach and Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake

This one was a bit of a bust.  It turned out correct, but it just wasn't all that good.  It wasn't very flavorful, and I left thinking, "I could have just made a white cake from a box and dumped in some peaches."  So here's the recipe:

3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds (I used vanilla extract)
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ cups diced fresh peaches (I used canned peaches)

Mix it all together and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.  I don't have a bundt pan so I used two round cake pans instead. 

While cake is baking, make syrup. Combine peach puree, sugar, and orange juice in a small non reactive saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Using a pastry brush, dab syrup generously all over surface of the warm cake, allowing it to soak into the cake before reapplying. Let the cake cool completely.  THIS WAS A BUST.  It never turned into a syrup for me.  It was more like peaches in sugar water.  Whatever.

Tell me other people have had recipe fails?!?

What I've Done - Carpet powder and air filter freshener

We live the woods of town.  We live just inside the city limits, and our apartment backs up to a wooded area - ton of trees, bugs, lizards, the list goes on.  I've talked to the people upstairs and they said they don't have any trouble with bugs.  I think that's because they all live downstairs.  We keep our apartment clean.  We wash the dishes.  We take out the trash.  We keep the windows and doors closed.  I guess it's just part of it.  Anyway, I'm willing to try just about anything to keep away the bugs.  I read about sprinkling baking soda on your carpet, letting it sit for 15 minutes, and vacuuming it up as a way to keep the bugs away.  I tried it a few weeks ago and I think it might be helping.  I'll keep you posted!

Did I tell you about the day that we had a lizard in our apartment?  It scared me so much.  I was sitting on the couch and all of a sudden I saw a slimy, black tail sticking out from our vertical blinds on our sliding glass door.  I screamed and ran to the bedroom.  Robert checked it out.  It was a 7 inch long salamander thing.  He shooed it out with a fly swatter.  Apparently if you only close the glass door without closing the screen door as well then 7 inch salamanders can get in.  Who knew?  The screen door has been closed since then.

I'm also always looking for ways to freshen up the place.  I read about sprinkling a few drops of essential oils on your air filter to make things smell nice.  I sprinkled some lavender oil on ours.  It smelled nice but only last a couple of days.  Overall consensus - not worth the hassle.

How do you keep pests away and keep your place smelling great?

Summer School

As I type, my sweet husband is taking his final exam for Greek 3.  In 2 hours he will officially be finished with lectures for the summer and just has one paper left before officially being finished with summer school.  That paper is due in a week so he is very close!  Summer school can be kind of crazy because you sit in lecture for 3-4 hours straight and due a week's worth of homework every night, but Robert has been a trooper and has completed 6 credit hours this summer.  Now he will be able to focus on working at his new job at Applebee's.  The past few weeks have been crazy while he has been in class 15 hours a week, studied about 20 hours a week, and worked about 30 hours a week.  It's nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and Robert will just be working for the next month before school starts, but we're hoping he'll be able to work a bit more and be close to full-time.

So needless to say, July has been a busy month.  We didn't do anything too exciting for 4th of July.  The town puts on a show but you have to pay to get in.  How lame is that?  And fireworks for personal use are pretty much banned; all you can do are sparklers, snakes, and fountains, but at our apartment complex even snakes and fountains are banned.  Wah wah wah.  We did have dinner and games with some friends though so that was nice.  And who doesn't like a paid day off?  The main bummer was that we had planned to meet up with my parents in PA to visit my dad's side of the family and Robert got scheduled to work on July 5th so we had to stay behind.

Dramatic moment of last week - Do you ever just have one of those days where nothing goes your way?  Well last Thursday was my day.  I sat down at my desk and spilled coffee on my mousepad so it was wet for hours.  Then about two seconds later my sandal broke.  The part that goes in between your toe just separated from the sole of the shoe.  I stapled it together.  That lasted about 7 seconds.  I ended up spending my lunch break buying new shoes.  It was a bit ironic because Robert and I had gone to Target a couple of days before to look for new sandals.  I didn't find any that I liked.  I guess a broken shoe will make all other shoes a lot more appealing than they previously were.  So I went back to work with these new shoes:

It turns out that I actually like them so that's good.

What I've Done - Wild Rice and Chicken Casserole

This one comes to you courtesy of Picky Palate.  I have trouble getting Robert to like brown rice.  I grew up eating it so it tastes totally normal to me, but Robert is used to eating white rice so brown rice tastes dry and gross to him.  The compromise - wild rice.  Plus, we had half a bag in our pantry and needed to use it somehow.

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced (I didn't have any so I skipped it, but I'm sure it would be a nice addition)
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic (I used garlic powder)
2 Cups shredded, cooked chicken breast (boiled)
2 Cups steamed white rice (I used brown rice, and Robert couldn't even tell!!!)
16 oz prepared wild rice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
______
Cheese Sauce (I totally skipped all the cheese sauce stuff and substituted it with a can of cream of chicken.  We're pretty sure cheese triggers headaches for me, so I'm attempting to avoid it when possible.)
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Cups chicken broth
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
Top with 1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat.  Saute onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in chicken, both rices, salt, pepper and garlic salt.  Reduce heat to low.
2.  To prepare cheese sauce melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously.  Whisk until thick and nearly boiling then stir in cheese until melted.  Pour cheese sauce into rice mixture then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through.  Serve.

*I cooked and baked mine in an iron skillet.  I'm anemic and will take any extra iron I can get!  Did you know that cooking in an iron skillet amps up the iron in the food you're cooking?  It's an easy way to get extra iron.

Robert said this was a dish worth making again so that's always a good sign!

What I've Done - Cleaning makeup brushes

Stop what you're doing and go wash your makeup brushes right now.  You will be shocked with how unbelievably disgusting they are.  I've heard of a variety of ways to clean them.

• Official brush cleaning solution from cosmetic store
• Shampoo
• Dawn and vinegar

I used shampoo and water.  It was gross and so cool!  It was black and brown and murky.  My brush is way softer now, smells nice, isn't matted together, and isn't filled with dirt and oil.   Hooray!

C.S. Lewis

That is why we must not be surprised if we are in for 

a rough time.  When a man turns to Christ and seems

to be getting on pretty well (in the sense that some of 

his bad habits are now corrected), he often feels that

it would now be natural if things went fairly smoothly.

When troubles come along - illnesses, money troubles,

new kinds of temptation - he is disappointed.  These

things, he feels, might have been necessary to rouse

him and make him repent in his bad old days; but why

now?  Because God is forcing him on, or up, to a higher

level: putting him in situations where he will have to

be very much braver, or more patient, or more loving,

than he ever dreamed of being before.  It seems to us

all unnecessary: but that is because we have not yet

had the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He

means to make of us.

I find I must borrow yet another parable from George

MacDonald.  Imagine yourself as a living house.  God

comes in to rebuild that house.  At first, perhaps, you

can understand what He is doing.  He is getting the

drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so

on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you 

are not surprised.  But presently he starts knocking the 

house about in a way that hurts abominably and does

not seem to make sense.  What on earth is He up to?

The explanation is that He is building quite a different

house from the one you thought of - throwing out a

new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running

up towers, making courtyards.  You thought you were

going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He

is building a palace.  He intends to come in and live in it

Himself.

What I've Done - Favorite marinades

Robert loves to grill.  I love to eat grilled food.  It's a win-win.  Here are some of our favorite marinades:

Balsamic Bruschetta Marinade

• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1/4 c crushed tomatoes
• 1 t basil
• 1 t garlic powder

Very Greek Marinade

• 1/2 c olive oil
• 1/3 c lemon juice
• 1 t poultry seasoning
• 1 t oregano

Bourbon Street Marinade

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 t garlic
• 1/4 t ginger
• 3/4 t red pepper flakes
• 1/4 c apple juice
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 2 T ketchup
• 1 T vinegar
• 1/2 c water
• 1/3 c soy sauce
• 1 T cornstarch

What are some of your favorite marinades?

What I've Done - Buttnernut Squash and Black Bean Enchilada Skillet

I'm attempted to have Robert and me eat a meatless dinner one night a week.  It's partly due to health purposes and partly do to cost purposes.  I made a new dish this weekend - Butternut and black bean enchilada skillet.  I found the recipe on Pinterest, but it's from Recipe Sweet.  Here's the recipe:

 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
1 Medium Yellow Onion, Diced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced (I used garlic powder)
½ Jalapeno, Seeded And Diced
3 cups 1/2 Inch Diced, Peeled Butternut Squash (I used half of a butternut squash)
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
Salt And Pepper To Season
1 can (15 Ounce) Can Black Beans, Rinsed And Drained
8 Yellow Corn Tortillas (taco Size), Cut Into Thick Strips (I used 4 flour tortillas)
1 can (15 Ounce Can) Red Enchilada Sauce
1 cup Reduced-fat Colby Jack Or Mexican Cheese, Divided (I didn't add any cheese so it was a bit healthier)
Cilantro And Low Fat Sour Cream, For Serving

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large oven-proof skillet. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno and cook 2-3 minutes until onions become translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add cubed squash, cumin and chili powder and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is slightly tender, 8 to 10 minutes. You want the squash to be fork tender, but not so tender that it starts to fall apart and become mush.
2. Next add the black beans, corn tortilla pieces, and can of enchilada sauce and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and sprinkle in 1/2 cup of cheese. Stir again and simmer for a few minutes until everything is nice and melted.
3. Serve with sour cream, cilantro, guacamole, or hot sauce! 

This was a big hit with the hubs.  He claims he doesn't like squash, but I'm gradually converting him.  The key to making him like squash is to not overcook it.  He hates when it's mushy/stringy which I can understand.  This made for great leftovers as well.  The beans provide lots of fiber, and getting orange vegetables such as the squash provides plenty of vitamin C and supports eye health.  What are some of your favorite vegetarian dishes?

What I've Done - Hot Pockets

This is another super easy Amy invention - Homemade Hot Pockets

When I invent stuff I really don't do any measuring.  I just put it whatever looks right.
Deli ham (or turkey)
Shredded cheddar cheese
Squirt of mustard
Spoonful of mayo
Chives
Can of crescent rolls

Mix it all together and stuff inside crescent rolls. Bake on cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 350.

What I've Done - Sour Cream Enchiladas

This is so unbelievably easy.  It's one of my inventions.  It was created in a moment of desperation.  What do we have that is fast, easy, and cheap?

Sour cream enchiladas!
Fill tortilla with sour cream and a piece of cheese.  Roll it up.  Put in baking dish.  Cover with enchilada sauce.  Bake til hot and bubbly.  Done!

What are some of your fast dinners that have been invented out of desperation?

First Annual Girls Weekend

This weekend I got to spend a few days in San Antonio with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.  We had such a great time!  I left work a bit early on Friday (which is never a bad thing!) and headed to the airport.  I don't love traveling by myself but it wasn't too bad.  All four of my flights for the trip were delayed.  How does that always happen to me?  Anyway, I made it to San Antonio just fine and Serina and Bethany were there to greet me.  We checked into our lovely hotel - The Marriott on the Riverwalk and then got a late dinner at Casa Rio.  The food was tasty, but the service was lacking.  Regardless, it was neat to eat at the oldest restaurant on the Riverwalk and people watch while dining outside.

The view from our hotel

On Saturday morning we started out with breakfast at the hotel and then headed out to go to the top of the Tower of the Americas.  We got to go up to the observation deck on the 40th floor which was pretty cool.  Next we took a boat tour of the Riverwalk.  This helped us pick out a few places that we wanted to visit.  We hit up La Villita which is a little area with a bunch of shops with local arts and crafts - very cute.

On the boat tour

The view from La Villita

We dined at The Republic of Texas for lunch, and I enjoyed some tasty BBQ.  Robert and I are not fans of North Carolina BBQ, so I wanted to take advantage of some good BBQ while I could.  After lunch we went to the Harley Davidson store so Bethany could buy Jason a present, and then we made sure not to miss Ben and Jerry's next door!  We went back to the hotel and enjoyed some resting and time at the pool.  There was a youth convention with 25,000 kids in town for the weekend, but luckily the pool wasn't packed and we really didn't notice them a ton while in San Antonio.

We attempted to go see The Heat but it was all sold out so we went to The Market Square.  I remembered going here and enjoying it when my family and I went to San Antonio when I was in high school.  We went to a restaurant I recommended - La Margarita and it did not disappoint.  We followed that up with more ice cream!  This time it was from Marble Slab Creamery.  We went back to the hotel and watched The Call on demand.  I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Queso fresco with picco de gallo mixed in!

Sour cream enchiladas

 
Sunday morning we had breakfast at Zocca and it was delicious.  We got caught in the rain, but it wasn't too bad.  It was a nice reprieve from the 106 degree heat from the day before!  We took advantage of cable a bit more by watching HGTV (Bethany and I don't have cable), and then headed off to the airport.

Robert was there waiting for me when I got back to RDU.  It was a great weekend - lots of tasty food, catching up, and adventures.  Can't wait for the next girls weekend!

Vacation 2013

It's safe to say that the Grabowski/Varner vacation of 2013 was a success.  Robert and I met up with Mom, Dad, and Jim in Colorado on Sunday afternoon.  We hopped in the rental car and drove on out to the cabin - with an ice cream stop on the way.  The cabin and campground were gorgeous!  We stayed at Snow Mountain Ranch.  There was a lot to do around the ranch - putt putt, swimming, hiking, biking, ladder ball, and crafts.

We also spent some time catching up with Jim's best friend, Andy, and our good friends Chad and Natalie who live in Colorado now.

One big highlight was white water rafting!  It was freezing cold but still super fun.  We also enjoyed a trip to the Denver Zoo, lots of family games, and beautiful scenery.  Another fun part was eating some of our wedding cake to celebrate (belatedly) our first anniversary.

Unwrapping our anniversary present to them - a photo book celebrating 30 years of wedded bliss

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