Today...

I made salsa using onions & jalapenos from our CSA (community supported agriculture - we get 5-6 lbs of veggies each week, locally & organically grown).

I jarred up some cucumber & dill from our CSA to make pickles. I've never made them before so we'll see how they turn out later this week!

Josh grilled deer burger steaks (from a deer he killed) for dinner & I roasted some squash, carrots, & onions from the CSA.

In the oven I have a gluten free blackberry crumble baking, using the blackberries that Elliot & I picked on Friday with his friends Claire & Will (& my friend Amy).

I also have some pesto in the fridge from last week's basil. YUM!

It's been fun to experiment with the veggies we get each week & find new ways to cook them. I also enjoy making pesto & salsa (& eventually tomato sauce, once we start getting tomatoes) each week, in hopes that I can perfect a recipe. Cooking is an escape for me - just me & the food, chopping away & getting to see the result each time is somewhat therapeutic these days. Not to mention, I love feeling good about what we're eating. Less & less chemicals in this house!

Scripture & Swiffer

You know, I have read the Bible for years, & it continues to amaze me how God can speak through scripture you have read so many times. Today I read the story about the paralyzed man that was brought down from the ceiling of the building Jesus was in (Matthew 9:1-8). Verse four really stood out to me this time- "Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, 'Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?'" (NIV). First of all, the fact that Jesus knows our every thought - why don't I live like He knows? Shouldn't that convict me to my core, & make me sick when I think things that are not pleasing to Him? Then the hugeness of that fact - how often do I entertain evil thoughts? How often do I think negative things about people, or think negatively of myself, or try to find my fulfillment in anything but Jesus? I think I will be meditating on that verse all day - it's too huge to soak in all at once.

I have an opinion about things (ooh, surprise!). One thing I have an opinion about are gadgets that make things easier, faster, more convenient. Most of the time I refuse to spend money on something simply because it will make something easier. Like... one of those things that peels & cuts avocado into perfect squares. I don't need my avocado to look perfect, & I am able to cut into it with a normal knife just fine. So in most things, I do it the old-fashioned, cost-effective way.

However, I hate mopping.

I can't stand it. I don't do it too often (compared to weekly sweeping or vacuuming), but when I do, it's just such an EVENT, lugging that big bucket & drippy mop everywhere. So I finally gave in & bought a Swiffer Wet Jet. WHOA, crazy me. After I figured out how to assemble it (mops only come in one piece, people), then used it (the exterminator left our floors all sticky-like), I think I decided I like it. It seemed to have done a pretty good job, & that wet stuff even smells good! It definitely is not as cost-effective as a mop. But I'm not seeing that it will feel like a waste of money. If it does I'll quit & go back to the ole mop. But let's hope that doesn't have to happen.

my brain is full!

I woke up today with a heavy dose of motivation. Probably too heavy, as it makes me want to ignore all other duties & responsibilities in order to do what I am motivated to do - ORGANIZE OUR HOUSE!!!

Our house is usually pretty clean & presentable. But my office could use some work, our junk room is driving me nuts, we need a big bookshelf for our room & somewhere to put all our games that are piled in our living room... etc. So I almost cannot stop my mind from thinking of under-the-bed storage, color coordinated fabric boxes, & selling things on Craigslist.

I have this issue where when I get something in my mind, REALLY in there, I cannot stop until it is accomplished. If only I had the time! I'm sure if I stopped doing church work, laundry, & cooking, the world would survive... right??

feelin good

Today I feel like a Domestic Diva! Oh yes. Not only did I sweep AND mop, but I made ELEVEN phone calls for work, without my heart rate going up or saving some calls for later! Can you believe it? I have also done 3 loads of laundry (& folded said laundry), made the guest bed, & sent several work emails. ALL after my usual workout & spending time with Jesus. I love being productive!

I am going to go reward myself with a diet vanilla Coke & the Ellen show!

painting is a dummy

I have decided that I do not enjoy painting. I am currently painting the bathroom, & I have already painted the living room, kitchen, & our bedroom. The bathroom is the worse by far. Lots of corners, crevices, & in a small(er) unventilated room. Not to mention painting behind the toilet. I thought I was going to finish today, but I ran out of paint & I don't feel like leaving the house. So... I live to paint another day.

I have a headache anyways so that is a good excuse, right?

It turns out we have finally been hooked into watching The Biggest Loser. It's true. We had never watched it until late November, & we just started out watching the eliminations because how fun can it be to watch people work out, right? But we watched the premiere last night & we are hooked. It is AMAZING the transformations these people go through. So emotional! I think it's great that they learn how to take care of themselves by exercising & eating well (God wants us to take care of our bodies!). Their lives are changed!

I booked our cruise yesterday, & I just can't wait! It is going to be so much fun! Any of you who have been on cruises before have any tips?

Okay, I have to go finish reading (or at least attempt to get a little further) in the book we are reading for book club... when I finish it (assuming I do!) I'll write a review.

Tuesday

I have a document on my computer named "Tuesday" (because the day I wrote it was Tuesday so it saved like that). I always keep this document up because it is my constant to-do list. I add things I need to do later in the week, or next week, most things under a specific day, then as I do them I take them off the list. Some things are vague, that have no immediate deadline, so I'll put those at the bottom under no specific day.

(I love lists. I love checking things off, & I rarely forget something I need to do.)

However, for whatever reason, I have not felt like being productive. I haven't want to do work-related things, or things around the house. I want to sleep & sit outside & drink Starbucks & that's about it.

So today, as I look at my list... there is a certain item I am avoiding... it was under yesterday's list, & it didn't get done, so it's just sitting there... waiting... so I look at my list to see anything, ANYTHING else I can do on it besides that one item... so I'm printing things, writing emails, doing things on the bottom of the list, the non-day items, oh & BLOGGING, all to avoid.........

"clean the bathrooms"

nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good free stuff today!

Go check out the Motherload today for some good free stuff - I am excited for my mailbox to soon be spouting out coffee & granola!! yumm!

Also, I was introduced to some other sampling websites - what FUN!

http://www.startsampling.com/

http://www.bargainer.com/viewsection_topics.php?f=14

& of course Walmart always has some good stuff...

http://walmart.triaddigital.com/In-Stores-Now-free-samples.aspx

I love free (& cheap!) stuff

I love coupons! They are great. It's fun to see how much money you can save by getting the best deal possible.

One thing I think some people do that messes up the whole saving-money part of using coupons is that they use coupons for products they MIGHT use. Only use coupons when you are sure you will use the product (I never let anything go to waste in our kitchen, sometimes we'll eat leftovers days in a row because I won't cook something new until we make sure we have eaten what we already have!). If you don't like cottage cheese, don't use a coupon for nearly-free cottage cheese just because you can.

I cut out or print off coupons for products that we either already use, or things I am pretty sure I would like (like Laughing Cow cheese, I got that based on a coupon & really liked it). Coupons are a fun way to try new things, but try to minimalize risk.

Josh & I drink coffee on Sunday mornings, & he will read the newspaper while I cut out coupons. It has become a fun time for us, plus I get really excited about what I find!

Also, I'm not sure about other grocery stores because we live in HEB land, but I'm sure they are doing this as well: HEB has been putting out TONS of their own coupons that have really good deals!! Make sure you check out the coupon section at your grocery store.

Here are some great links for websites you can check almost daily for new coupons:

http://www.coupons.com/
www.momadvice.com/blog
http://www.freebies4mom.blogspot.com/
www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom
http://www.creativelyhomemaking.blogspot.com/

The Mom Advice blog also puts up codes for free Redbox rentals.

If you know of any other great blogs, please let me know!

Enjoy saving money!

Pickle Pants (& a discovery)

Yesterday I opened a jar of pickles & juice got all over my pants. Eww.

Did you know pickles are a super low calorie snack? They do have plenty of sodium though, so don't eat a jar for lunch or anything.

Speaking of food, I have a new yummy snack - 100 calorie packs of Pepperidge Farm Chessmen butter cookies! WAY YUM! I know some nutritionists don't like the 100 calorie packs, because they don't have many nutritional benefits, or whatever, but let's get real - sometimes you just need a sugary snack, & better to eat only 100 calories of it than more! Plus I love love love carbs, in any form (bread, crackers, cookies, cake, muffins, most sugar in general), so I got really excited when I discovered they are truly yum (& won't go straight to my hips :-) ).

I am in organize mode! I have been trying to transform our dining room-turned-study into my personal office, while also trying to clear out what we don't need/use in there & in Toby's room (aka the junk room, also our future baby room), so we can simplify & get junk up in the attic instead of around the house. It's quite the task! But I am motivated so I must run with it while that feeling exists. I hope to start painting/working on our bathroom after we get back from vacation, so I think that's my next project... it will be quite the transformation I think, so I will definitely put up pictures when it's done (but don't expect that to be too soon!).

I found a great new blog - Mom Advice (there is also a link to the left). She puts up great homemaker stuff, mom stuff, also posts where there are free giveaways (such as yesterday, a code for a free movie from redbox.com). Go explore!

go exploring!

I have added a new section to the blog layout - cooking &/or homemaker blogs. Check them out! There are lots of fun recipes to explore, as well as useful tips for the home. I will add new ones as I find ones I like. If you have any blogs or websites I need to know about, please share!

I promise I will start posting recipes soon. I will only post recipes that I have tried & think are worth sharing. Unfortunately, it is much cheaper these days to fix easy meals like rice & grilled chicken & broccoli, or even hamburger helper, so I don't try out new recipes as often as I would like. But I am busting out my four-ingredient cookbook tomorrow night so I'll let you know if it turns out well.

Very feminine

Yesterday my fingernails were as long as I think they've ever been, not gross long, but pretty long. One always breaks so I end up cutting them all short, but they were doing really well so I wanted to see what it would be like to have long fingernails... it's kind of annoying. So I cut them. But I felt pretty despite the irritation. I always felt like there were two prerequisites to being a wife - you must have pretty cursive writing & long pretty fingernails. I hadn't written in cursive since elementary school, but thanks to weeks of addressing wedding invitations then writing thank you notes, I write in cursive again. But the fingernails... well, I did it once, that should be enough!

I am dog-sitting for my parents' dog Riley. She's a bichon, which Sage is half of (other half scottie). It's funny looking at them both & seeing similarities they have. Like how they sleep.

Since they are from the same breeder, we like to think they are related, so they call each other "Cousin Sage" & "Cousin Riley," naturally.

I think I shall go start a new book!

tales of a painter

I painted the kitchen! Finally!

The Mexican food restaurant green is gone, replaced with a lovely minty kitcheny green (thanks to my mom we actually finished in one day, too). Next I'll paint our room latte (but not the reading room, I like that part of our room)... then I'm in the process of picking a color for our bathroom (note that it took almost 3 months after painting our living room for me to do the kitchen.. maybe all this by 2009?). I'll also have to paint the antiqued yellow cabinets - yuck. Our bathroom will hopefully look drastically different. Then I think I'll paint the guest bath, then eventually the two guest rooms. It's fun finding cheap ways to improve our house. One of my favorite is switchplates. Another is hooks, like towel hooks you know. They don't cost much at all but can change the way a room looks!

Something has happened to prove that I am no longer in school, but this is my life. I used to have two dreams about school, at least once a semester - one was that I had to go get a book out of my locker, but by the time I found my locker, I couldn't remember the combination. The dream ended there, always leaving me in a panic. My other school dream took place toward the end of the semester, when I realized - "oh my goodness, I forgot I signed up for that class! I haven't been going all semester!" That dream also ends in a panic, wondering if I will just fail, but never finding out.

My life has changed.

Last night... I had a dream. I dreamed that I walked into a room that was HUGE, & looked like someone had started painting different parts of the room different colors, all loud horrible colors. I panic - "oh my goodness, I forgot about THIS room!! What color will I paint it?!?!??!!?!?!"

I am officially no longer a student - but a homemaker.

I wonder if that will be the only dream??

C

Oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas this year!

So I was praying a little bit ago, asking the Lord what He wanted me to do today (as the book I told you about has challenged me to do). I heard the Lord say, "Love your husband." I thought, okay! I like doing that. But what does that look like today, when he's at work? & God showed me - put away the dishes. Clean the bathroom. Pick up leaves that Sage has dragged in. What encouragement! I sometimes get a little down about the "mundane-ness" of that part of my life... clean, do laundry, etc. I want to do those things, because I'm called to love Josh in part through keeping our home nice, but sometimes it's a bit draining & I lack joy in those tasks. But I need to continue to view these things as a high calling, as part of loving Josh, & not as the world views them, as boring & something to be look down on. This is part of my purpose & when I do it as obedience to the Lord, He gives me joy in it!

I also wanted to share a story from this book; I got excited about it & I think some of you might as well.

"Obedience, in little things or big things, brings an exquisite thrill. 'My joy, which no man can take from you,' says Jesus.
I was attending a conference in a village. The speaker was an Indian businessman who had worked & lived in Burma for many years. When the Japanese bombed Rangoon, he with other Indians fled for their lives. They lost everything. He had only his Bible & the suit he was wearing. He walked hundreds of miles to return to India. He said that hardships were many, but it was sweet to feel the Presence of Jesus & to have his Bible. While he was talking & giving a great witness to the people, a quick thought came to me just before I had to return to my town: 'Give him all the money in your purse.'
Well! I had to go home by train. Should I not save a bit for my train fare! Of course I had learned not to argue with God - just obey. I put all I had in an envelope & gave it to him.
Then I hurried off to catch my train. A boy was running swiftly ahead of me. When I got to the station the boy came out of the ticket office with a ticket - & gave it to me. I looked surprised! He told me he was at the meeting, saw me put the money in an envelope & give it to the speaker. Then he said, 'God told me to buy your ticket, so I ran.' The train was ready to pull out. 'Get in quickly, Amma.' So I did. The train was off; I waved to the boy. I sat there with that exquisite thrill that comes when people obey God's Plan."

I pray I can be so obedient.

I've got a couple pictures to share - yay Christmas!

Here is our Christmas tree! I just love it.

Our stockings are hung by the chimney with care! (Note the new color of the walls - no more yellow! Yay!)

Sage says Merry Christmas!

C

Wifey & Husband

Okay, oreo pizza is good in theory... only semi-good in reality. Oh well. Anyone try those oreo cakesters? I want to try just one... not buy a whole box.

So now that Josh & I have both been in San Antonio for three weeks, we are starting to see what our life here looks like & getting into our routines. Here are some things that relate to my wifeness in some form or fashion:

1) Laundry. Lots of laundry. I feel like I do it a lot. I can't imagine what laundry for 6 people looks like!
2) Whenever I'm done washing & folding clothes, it's probably time to wash some towels or sheets. Washie wash wash.
3) myrecipes.com is amazing. I have found some recipes to try that I'm pretty excited about. Tonight I am trying Melissa's mom's taco soup. Yumm.
4) Sometimes I don't make the bed until 4:30. :-)
5) Homemade coffee is great - mainly because it doesn't cost $3. Yay for caramel-vanilla creamer!
6) I keep realizing things that we didn't register for. Good thing we have Bed Bath & Beyond gift cards like crazy!
7) I feel like such a good wife when I light lots of candles & it just smells so good in here. (Although Josh probably doesn't notice, but I sure love candles.)

Here are some things about Josh's life these days:

1) Josh comes home almost every day for lunch, except on most Fridays, when he goes out to lunch with guys from work.
2) He works out after work while I'm fixing dinner.
3) He still doesn't like coffee, but now he gets an iced chai latte when I drag him to Starbucks. We go on Sunday mornings before church; he reads the Sunday paper & I pick out the good coupons.
4) He steals the covers. Big time. Not on purpose though. :-)
5) He likes to cuddle with Toby (the cat... that sentence would sound weird if you didn't know that).
6) He is Mr. Financial Planner man. He pays all of the bills, puts money into savings, watches our expenses, & is currently working on finding out how much we can afford for a house payment. I'm sure glad he does all that!

We are really enjoying finally being here in San Antonio, spending time with our new friends, getting involved in our church, & spending time together. Yay :-)

J&C

Weekend at the Lake

This weekend Josh & I went with Brad & Haley & Melissa & Ryan to Melissa's parents' lakehouse north of Houston. It was a lot of fun! We skiied, wakeboarded, tubed, & jet skiied. We all ended up pretty sore & tired but it was great being out on the water, soaking up the sun, & spending time with friends!

Seeing as how I have just done some super fun cleaning today, I have decided to list my top most disliked & most liked chores. Whoohoo!

Most Disliked

1. Cleaning the countertops in the bathroom. (sick nasty)
2. Cleaning the tub. (involves awkward leaning, also sick nasty)
3. Ironing. (I'm so bad at it & it makes me hot & my back starts hurting)

Most Liked

1. Laundry. (who doesn't love a chore that has a machine do most of the work?)
2. Vacuuming. (easy as long as there isn't stuff all over the floors)
3. Doing the Dishes. (pretty easy stuff)

Mega-Bonus for chores:

Burns calories!

:-)

J&C

I am a blogging fool!

What a productive day I have had!

I went to the bank to get my new debit card sent since the first one got lost or something, checked out the sale at Kohl's (but bought nothing, oh well), ate some salad, did three loads of laundry, took out the trash, cleaned the toilets, dusted, & I think I might just vacuum!

Josh has driven through three states & is now sitting in an airport. Poor Joshie.

I'm pretty excited about this weekend! Of course I'm glad because Josh is coming home to break up his two weeks in the... state next to the Peach State. But we are going to have a home-cooked meal tonight & watch High School Musical! Neither of us have seen it & we want to see what the big deal is with this movie!

Then tomorrow I am going to Ranelle's baby shower & hopefully Josh & I will be able to hang out with some of our new friends since we haven't been seeing too much of them.

Sunday we start working in the Sunday School at church!! We are going to be shepherds for (most likely) fourth graders, which means we won't be doing the teaching, but our role is more relational. I'm really excited about it! We have a training meeting before church then start that day, & we will be in there every other week since there is only one service. Yay! Thank the Lord for an amazing church to get involved in & start serving so quickly!

Next week I'm staying here. I'm planning on hanging out with a couple friends, hopefully getting a new social security card, & probably some car maintenance - wash, oil change, new brakes. It shouldn't be too bad of a week... our LAST week with Josh out of town!!! Wahoo!

Yay for life getting going in San Antonio!

J&C