January: started the New Year with several goals (some I did well with, some = FAIL) and tons of blog posts (27 in January!?!?! where did I find the time??). I baked and baked and baked, enjoyed a bit of snow, and then I was sick. a lot. Honestly not a great start. But I ended the month with old friends celebrating the birthday of my bestest's little one.
Favorite recipe from that month was the Coconut cupcakes f/m the MSC club (sadly no recipe posted due to group rules)
February: Started the month committing to the Five O'clock club (then failing), a reunion with the lovely ladies in my first Bible study, and working really hard on all my resolutions. Oh yeah, and I was sick a lot. again. The two first months of 2010 were really really hard on my body and were the catalyst to changes made in the year. I ate a lot of quiche b/c I like eggs when I'm sick.
This was the favorite recipe:
March: A month of much introspection. My parents lost a dear friend and for some reason it really shook me up, though I had never met her. I began to question whether staying at my job was the right thing. Discussions & arguments w/hubs about the future took place in the midst of more sickness. But there were high points too--the beginning of spring, another visit w/my best friend, funny and encouraging things from hubs (celebrating 8 years together!), and some great food!
It was hard to pick a favorite for this month, but the one that has at least been the most repeated is the loaded baked potato soup. It nourished me during sickness, wisdom tooth removal, and now--oh so much better--I get to feed college girls with it!!
April: A pretty good month! I started knitting again, spring came for real w/beautiful flowers, found out that my mouth is too small for an adult toothbrush, met our next door neighbors for dinner, made my favorite craft project to date, and, as always, some delicious treats!
I couldn't choose between these two for this month:
Dorie's Berry Surprise Cake (served at Easter)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake (for dinner w/the neighbors)
May: I turned 27! No big celebration, but still a good time I think. One thing that I never got around to blogging about (shame) we had a big flood in the area! Nashville got it so much worse which made national news, but Bowling Green got quite a bit as well. Also big that month--we made the final decision that I was going to quit my job at Pediatric Associates, and I found out about the opportunity to serve alongside Campus Crusade for Christ at Western. I still had to keep it a secret though...I also posted about celebrating Nurse appreciation day at my (now former) office which was a great time to honor some very special ladies who I miss greatly! I also made my first ever stuffed animals--little bears for my soon-to-be new nephews.
Favorite recipes of the month came from the nurse's brunch:
Overnight Sausage Breakfast casserole (comes in very handy!)
Not a ton of cooking (or pictures) due to all the craziness, but my favorite from the month was Dorie's Tender Shortcakes:
Favorite recipe of the month was Dorie's Lot's of Ways Banana Cake--so good! I want some now!
August: The month started in the best of ways--I was done at my job and spent a TON of time helping Christi w/the twins! We had fabulous bonding time in the hospital and at her house--It helped us get so close and I loved being there w/the little guys so much :) I also started the 90 day Bible challenge w/my friend Sabrina. Sadly, I failed at completing it in 90 days, but I did do the entire Old Testament in 60, and finished the whole Bible by the end of the year. It was great! Then, before I had time to stop and think about it, WKU was starting, I met my new Bible study girls and spent a CRAZY week on campus for freshman orientation. And I got to feed people :) I'll admit, I was scared, but excited. Favorite recipe of the month (though I didn't do a seperate post on or picture of it) was Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Baked French Toast--those students ate it up!
September: The month was spent very wrapped up in my new routine and investing in the lives of the ladies in my Bible study! We started with a bang and I had a new schedule. Monday: clean, grocery shopping, maybe prepare dinner for next night, plan lesson for Bible study; Tues: staff meeting in the am, finish any cleaning/lesson prep, water aerobics, cook dinner for 9 people, dinner w/Bible study, lesson, clean up; Wed: BSF in the morning, meet w/girls individually all day, dinner w/hubs; Thurs: meeting w/girls all morning/early afternoon, water aerobics, dinner for 15 & leadership meeting every other week; Friday: staff meeting 10-2, down time, then often a fellowship w/the students; Saturday: crash; Sunday, laundry, church. It was a bit of a crazy schedule but there is something about doing what you love that makes it so much easier! I had instant bonds w/all the girls in the group and knew that God is working! Also, I got to try a new recipe every week and serve it to 8 hungry ladies. Oh yeah, and the air conditioning broke was it was 90-100 degrees outside, and I had a bit of a meltdown over that...but other than that it was good!
Favorite recipes (can't choose just one):
October: It was an emotional month. We did our family yardsale which was good but tiring, and I just had a lot of things on my heart. At one point I really struggled about not having kids--for a few weeks I sobbed during every staff meeting that we had! It was hard. But a great month too. Hubs turned 27, ministry was fruitful, and I hosted my first CRU women's fellowship and had 30+ college ladies crammed into my house carving pumpkins and baking. It was wonderful! I've got to say that very few things make me as happy as sharing my home & food & time with people like this. It was also my first Halloween in several years that I didn't have to work late to do the month-end close down. That was nice :).
Favorite food of the month (that i remembered to post):
Favorite food:
Dorie's All-American, All-Delicious Apple Pie (I made it at least 4 times)
The family also loved the Cranberry shorbread cake from the same post
December: I had big plans for this month. As my first Christmas not working at the office since I was 16 years old (and with students leaving after the first week) I was determined to really lazy it up--relax and bake new things, read those Christmas magazines I've stockpiled over the years, spend a ton of time w/my family, and just enjoy my very favorite season. Well...it didn't turn out that way. It was still good, just more stressful than I imagined. It started great. I did Bible study Christmas parties both for the CRU ladies (around 25 people in my house that time), then for just my group, and then as a staff team, and then w/my old office. They were all fun and wonderful. Then all of the sudden I had a TON of food orders (a good thing, but still hard work). One day I baked 8 kinds of cookies, brownies, cake, & a pumpkin roll, the next day I did 9 loaves of bread, another cake, 2 pies, and about 6 or 7 dozen muffins--and then my dishwasher broke and I collapsed in a sobbing dirty mess! Then we had several houseguests during the month of December but the house never got clean for them. However, Christmas day was perfect! Hubs & I took the day for just us and actually spent the whole day together playing games, watching movies, and with a candle-light dinner and he got me a gorgeous necklace and my own GPS :). It was lovely! We had great times w/the families as well, but sadly I didn't take any pictures over those 3 days. Oh--one of the best things of all--we had a white Christmas!! Woohoo!!
Favorite recipes of the month are:
and
2010 had some definite hard times, but was a year of wonderful changes and joy! I'm so excited about what the next year has in store!
wow- from january to dec your life changed so much! isnt that crazy? i love how when we look at it, we would have never been able to imagine what the Lord had instore for us. it amazes me. so glad you are doing what you love dear!
ReplyDeleteLove seeing your year all month by month like this! What a roller coaster you have been on - so many changes! I hope 2011 is even better for you :) And I have to say I'm a bit selflishly happy to see that I made a month or two! Can't wait to see you twice in this January!
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