Frustrations and Blessings

Frustrations

- I got up early to get to my 8:00 class and I found out it was cancelled once I got there.  I know that teachers can get sick at the last minute but emails are a wonderful thing....

- The dishes are out to get me.  Seriously, I can't ever get them done.  I need to ask Merlin from the Sword in the Stone how he made the dishes wash themselves like that.

-  I've been extremely tired for the past 4 days and I have no idea why.  I can't keep my eyes open in class and I get headaches at night.

- Those chapter books on my nightstand aren't reading themselves...

-A truck threw a rock at my windsheld last week and cracked it.  Very much so.

-  We don't get any days off for Easter so we can't go home for the holiday.

- I wish the warm weather would actually stay for more than a day.

Blessings

- I can go home and take a nap after my 9:30 class.

-My husband is buying groceries for Easter dinner today.  I'm thankful we are fortunate enough to have money for food since so many people struggle with hunger.

- I have a home with heat.  I'm a wimp when it comes to cold weather.

-Pinterest has updated their look and added a search bar!!  Plus it's way easier to manage pins and boards now.

-  I had a dog lined up for my final grooming project for Dog Grooming class, but they backed out.  Last week I was really upset about this and worried since that project is 50% of our grade.  A friend from school offered to let me use her dog because she said she trusted me to care for him.

-We got the windshield fixed (well, replaced).

- I got 3 Easter cards in the mail yesterday.

- At Easter time, I am reminded of the wonderful gift of eternal life that I have received from Jesus Christ.

Giveaway Winner for Perspectives!

Unfortunately, spring break is almost over for me :(  But the good news is, the giveaway for Perspectives by Colin Creel has ended and it's time to announce the winner!

 

 

 

 

Drumroll . . .

 

 

 

 

So Excited.... (Original Image found here)

 

 

Congratulations to:

 

 

Tiffany M.

 

 

 

Thanks again to all who entered the giveaway.  I hope to have another within the next month or two.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Getting Past Perfection

Image by Evgeni Dinev at freedigitalphotos.net

I LOVE reading blogs about just about everything - food, homemaking, personal stories, animals, scrapbooking, art, books.....it goes on.  There is so much wonderful content out there to learn from and share with others.  But have you ever felt "down" when reading some of the blog posts out there? 

I find it to be very common, especially on blogs about homemaking and family, that you only find posts about how you can make your life BETTER.  This recipe will make your family happy, this home decor idea will make your hosue look better, or this financial tip will make you more succesful.  Improvement is a huge deal in the blogging world and sometimes after reading these posts, I become overwhelmed and feel like I'm not good enough because obviously the people who posts these things have their lives together and I don't, right....? 

Not really.

I think when it comes to this state of mind, we have to consider both the writers and readers of blogs.

No matter how many posts a writer makes about inspiring ideas or tips, their lives are not perfect because no one is perfect.  For example, you might have found a really great blog about raising kids that has tons of kid's crafts, recipes, and parenting tips.  But could it be possible that this woman's relationship with her husband is suffering because she spends all of her time with her kids?  I think it is the responsibility of a blog writer to not only share their good times but also the rough times.  I realize many blogs are for business or hobbies and do not reflect the personal lives of the author's so that's a different story.  But I am saying that we shouldn't mask our lives and make them seem perfect.  This already happens in so many areas of media today such as Photoshopped magazine photos of models.  We need more "real" in the world.

Now consider yourself or others as readers.  First of all, we have a choice to read or not to read.  But who wants to miss out on the possibility of finding something totally inspiring or awesome on a blog?  I would say that when you read blog posts, go into it knowing that you have limitations and that you are trying to improve - not perfect- yourself.  For example, I love to coupon and use some on groceries for the week but I don't clip for hours on end or go to 5 different stores to get free toothpaste at one and free bread at another.  Set limitations.  Just because you agree with or enjoy something, doesn't mean you have to go all out for it. 

Some of the blogs I read the most contain posts and ideas that I don't always agree with in regards to style, home, family, and faith.  But honestly, if you agree with everything a person posts, you must be reading your own blog.

It's important to not try and imitate another person's life.  God gave us the ability to make our own decisions based on past experience, advice from others, and consulting Him in prayer.  Everyone is different -create the story of your life and enjoy it.

Seasoned Red Potatoes

Since it's spring break for me, I've been home catching up on scrapbooking, organizing, and doing some cooking!  Yesterday I tried this new and very simple recipe which turned out great.  The only trouble I had was that my bag of red potatoes contained HUGE potatoes so I had to cook them a while longer than the recipe said, but it worked out fine.

Original Recipe from Taste of Home

Seasoned Red Potatoes

Ingredients:
12 to 14 small red potatoes (or 9-10 larger red potatoes)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Peel a strip from around each potato.  Place potatoes in an ungreased 3 quart baking dish.  In a small bowl, combine the oil, butter, and seasonings; drizzle over potatoes.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes (or 65-75 minutes for larger potatoes) or until tender, stirring every 15 minutes.  Yield: 6 servings



More Than Reasons

       I remember in high school and in college, I considered myself an independent woman - although I loved having Matthew come over and spend time together, I NEEDED to have time to myself and if we were spending too much time together, I'd often get frustrated and start arguments that weren't necessary.  I do regret those times, because I'm sure they hurt his feelings.  So what was I going to do when we were actually married and would be together even more often??

       Matthew and I have now been married for about 8 months, and my perspective has completely changed.  He's at a conference this week so I have the to house to myself which would normally have given me some needed alone time.  But to be truthful, it's way too quiet around here!  It's amazing how many things you notice that you miss when the one you love isn't around.  So I came up with a list of a few reasons (this is a very incomplete list...as if I ever could COMPLETE one) why he makes my days seem that much brighter...

He encourages me - It's funny how God brings together two people who fill each others' voids.  I often struggle with confidence and self-esteem and some days can really get me down.  But he senses my hurt (I don't know how he does that so well) tells me that I'm good at what I do and that all those problems are nothing God can't handle.

He cares about my opinions - Money, schedules, life decisions, even movies and shirt colors.  We make decisions about lots of things together and I'm grateful for that.

He tries his best - I'm amazed at the work that my husband puts into his job.  Even though he has only been working at this place for about 7 months, it sounds like he's helping make good decisions and making positive changes for the department.  Even on his days off, if someone needs help over the phone, he is more than willing to stop what he is doing and help them.

He's my protector - One of the most comforting things he does is let me cry on his shoulder and he doesn't immediately try to make it better or ask lots of questions - I'm just allowed to let things go.

He buys me flowers - I really love flowers

He's smart - I always thought smart guys were attractive and I ended up marrying a very intelligent Computer Science and Mathamatics major.  Lucky me :)

He drives - I hate driving in big towns and on the interstate.  Even though Matthew gets tired of it sometimes, he drives the whole trip because he knows I don't like it.

He loves to play Lego Wii games with me - The Lego games are, I think, an ideal game for couples.  You work together towards a common goal but you can go your own ways and do stuff.  Plus you get to run over each other with cars and the occasional elephant.

He does dishes - We both HATE doing dishes, but he takes over sometimes :)

He has faith - Often when we talk about problems in life, he tells me to ask God for help and pray about it often.  It's a comforting thing to hear.

His love is unconditional -  After an argument, when I'm sick, when I'm upset or when we are happy, thankful, and joyful, he always tells me how he is with me for the good and bad no matter what life throws our way.  And THAT makes me feel like I can take on the world with him and God at my side.

Scrapbook Layout Challenge

Although I love scrapbooking, I find it hard to actually get started on a page.  Maybe it's the fact that I'm overwhelmed with all of the choices I have to make when designing a page or maybe it's just I have to be in a certain creative mood to scrapbook.  I was getting tired of never getting any pages done so back in January, as a New Year's Resolution, I decided I wanted to get one scrapbook layout done per week.  For me this was pretty ambitious - I spend on average 4 hours per page planning, rearranging, writing the text, finding templates, cleaning up, etc.  So far though, I've done pretty well.  I think I'm 2 weeks behind, but I plan on doing some scrapping this Wednesday.

Here are some layouts I've been working on!

 

 

(An original design)

 

I'm REALLY REALLY behind in my scrapbooks.  I'm just finishing up the year 2007 (this was a really busy year for me, so it's taking a while).  Hopefully this summer, when I have a month off from school, I can get 2-3 pages done per week and try really hard to catch up!  I was getting bored with 2007 though haha so I've done a few recent layouts as well such as our engagement pictures.

 

An original design

 

An original design

 

I have a black leather book that I keep all of my layouts I like from magazines and websites.  About half of the scrapbook pages I do, I follow a layout pattern that I have found but I usually end up altering them a bit.

 

An original design

An original design

Someday, when we have a house, I hope to find some 12x12 frames and put some of my favorite layouts on a wall.

 

 

(An original design)

 

 

 

 

Giveaway: Perspectives by Colin Creel

I'm excited to announce that I will be hosting my first giveaway today!

I have decided that I would like to start a new giveaway "series" called "Pass It On Books."  After reading good Christian Books or other kinds of literature, I always want to share my reading experiences with other people.  As much as I love books, I don't find that they do much good sitting on my bookshelf after I have read them - why not let someone else enjoy and benefit from them?  So these giveaways will feature gently used books (still in great condition) that I hope the winner will pass on to someone else once they are done reading it.

I love finding new Christian books that speak out to me as if I was talking to a friend.  I've tried a lot of the daily devotion type books in the past and honestly, usually by the next day I forget what the devotion was even about.  A few years ago, I read Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller and I was blown away by his writing style and thoughts on Christian life.  It felt like I was talking to a good friend and having a long conversation about a wide variety of topics.  I've also noticed that I like studying God's Word by topic, not so much by verse.

There are so many decisions we have to make in our 20's - spiritual, physical, and mental.    It's easy to want to rush through life and try to have everything all worked out and accomplished during these years.  I don't think anyone can truly be prepared for going out into a big world for the first time.  But it doesn't hurt to gain some advice that will help you out during these times and I'm so glad that I was able to find Colin's book and gain some valuable information and perspectives on life and God.

If you want to read some reviews about this book, click here.

I found Perspectives: A Spiritual Life Guide for Twentysomethings by Colin Creel at a Christian bookstore about a year ago and just recently read the book.  It's organized into 30 different chapters, each with a different topic.  Some titles include "How Do You Handle Adversity?" and "Any Room Left in Your Margins?" and "How Do You Define Sucess?"  Each chapter has Points to Ponder at the very end to help you reflect on application to your own life.  One of my favorite parts of the book were from the  "Seasond Advice" section in each chapter.  The author has guest writers who have moved beyond their twenties talk about their past experiences regarding each topic.

To enter this giveaway, please read the rules first by clicking on Terms and Conditions in the Rafflecopter widget.  I will be verifying all entries before a winner is contacted.  Giveaway ends March 22nd at 11:59 PM.  This giveaway is for a real paperback copy.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Pork Chops and Potatoes

Image courtesy of SixSistersStuff.com

 

It's great to find a recipe that tastes great and takes little effort on my part.  You could say that I'm good at following directions, but recipes that take actual cooking skill like stirring it just right so that things get mixed but not overmixed or knowing if the meat is done without practically cutting it in half to look inside is kind of difficult for me.  When I found this recipe on sixsistersstuff.com, I was excited to try it since it involves a crockpot (love that thing).  There are even instructions on their website on how to make your own cream of chicken soup and your own ranch dressing mix (didn't have time to try it, maybe next time).  I actually halved this recipe since I only had 4 pork chops and 4 potatoes and it turned out great!


Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Pork Chops and Potatoes

Ingredients:
4-6 pork chops
6-8 medium potatoes, chopped into large pieces
2 cans fat-free cream of chicken soup*
2 packages dry Ranch dressing mix*
1 cup milk
Dried parsley to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions:
Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and put potatoes on the bottom. Place the pork chops on top of the potatoes. Mix together the condensed soups, Ranch dressing mix and milk. Pour on top of the pork chops and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.
Use the extra sauce in the slow cooker as a gravy for the potatoes and the pork chops. Sprinkle with dried parsley if you want.

Compliment: Random Thoughts of Today

-Our school held a drawing today for some scholarships to be used for next year.  If you met certain criteria such as activities, grades, financial need etc, your name was put in a coffee can and winners were randomly chosen.  Although I didn't win one, I was really happy for those who did.  It seems that so many of the scholarships today are based on high GPA's or how thin you can spread yourself among various activities to make yourself look good on paper.  Is it really fair to always award money to the highest achieving of multiple applicants?  I know some students that work REALLY hard to get good grades and I know some people who hardly work at all and get excellent grades.  Everyone deserves a chance.


-The past week I've had a really rough time with self-esteem and other things.  Plus, all the tests and homework are piling up and it never seems to end.  I received a compliment today that, although it didn't give me an AHA! moment and make me super motivated, gave me a sense of peace that God knows what I need and when I need it.

-Baby sloths are adorable; go watch some videos of them on Youtube...

-In the past, I've rearranged my schedule for hanging out with friends, appointments, school projects, and even for sleeping (no surprises there, right?)  But do we ever consider rearranging our schedules for God?  I admit my time with God was and sometimes is still sparse and I think of it after doing homework, eating supper, playing games, reading fiction books, etc.  What do daily devotions/readings do for us anyways?  If we really TRULY want daily time with God, we must have a goal that we can look toward.  Do you want to learn more about biblical stories, find something in the Word about a problem you are facing, or learn more about prayer?  I'm not saying those One Year devotion books with random topics each day aren't helpful, but we can't "mindlessly" read through a few paragraphs and call it time well spent with God.  Read, watch, or whatever you do with purpose.

What about you? Do you think having a spiritual goal is helpful?

Apple Braid

This afternoon I wanted to make apple crisp, but when I got to my fridge, I noticed I only had 3 Granny Smith apples instead of the needed five.  Pinterest, being my friend, gave me a solution to my problem - an Apple Braid!  It's super easy to make, bakes quick, and would be great for a holiday treat (or a March 5th treat, whenever really).  This recipe is from Rachel, a guest poster on eatliverun.com.  You can find the original recipe here.

Photo courtesy of eatliverun.com



Apple Braid
Makes 1 bread (approximately 12 servings)

For the Apple Filling
3 medium-size Granny Smith apples (I used 2 larger apples which worked great)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon juice

For the Bread
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon instant yeast (I prefer SAF Instant Yeast)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons vegetable oil

For the Glaze:
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
5 teaspoons whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make the Apple Filling: Peel, core, and slice the apples into thin slices, then cut the slices in half. Toss the apple pieces with the sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Bake the apple filling in an 8-inch square baking pan (or 9-inch pie tin) for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. (Note: Do not turn the oven off at this point. You will be using it to bake the finished braid.)

Make the Bread: While the apple filling is baking, begin preparing the bread dough. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add the water and oil and mix the dough for 6 minutes using an electric mixer on medium-high speed.

Spray a smooth clean surface with cooking spray and turn the dough out onto the surface. Knead the dough briefly to give it a smooth surface (this will only take several turns of the dough to accomplish). Spray a rolling pin with cooking spray and roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 12-inches by 16-inches in size. Lift onto a greased baking sheet.
Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut each side into strips about 1-inch wide down each side, leaving the center third of the dough uncut. Spread the apple filling down the middle third of the dough. Fold strips of dough into the center, crisscrossing the filling by alternating strips from each side. Lightly press ends to seal, and straighten out the braid with your hands, if necessary, to straighten.

Image courtesy of eatliverun.com



Bake the braid in the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the braid cool for several minutes.

Make the Glaze: Whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until blended and smooth.

Brush the glaze in a thick coat over the entire surface of the apple braid while it is still cooling. Carefully transfer the braid to a cooling rack set on a baking sheet (to catch drips) to finish cooling and prevent the bottom of the braid from becoming soggy from sitting in any pooling glaze. Slice and serve.


Unfortunately our oven is very small and since our biggest cookie sheet that can fit in there is smaller than this bread is supposed to be, I had to downside the bread a bit.  But it STILL turned out amazing!  Let me know if any of you try this recipe out :)