A perfect Christmas

Okay, I know it's "time" for the new years resolution posts and everyone is over Christmas, but I had to post about our wonderful Christmas day because I never want to forget it!

For the first time in quite a while, my parents did not host their sides of the family in town.  Instead the plan was to (as usual) spend Christmas eve w/hubs family, my family was going to Paducah on Christmas day, and then to Owensboro on the day after Christmas.  It's always a whirlwind, and I know that we should be thankful that we have all our family within a three hour or so drive, but this year after having so little time together, hubs & I really needed some "us" time.  So we decided to stay home on Christmas day, just the two of us :).

On Christmas eve we did the normal movie, dinner, and presents w/hubs' family.  We saw the Voyage of the Dawn Treader and then came home for a dinner of ham, turkey, and finger foods :).  Tons of presents as always, but the best surprise of all came right as we were about to leave.  We knew that there was a chance of snow the next day, but hubs opened the door to start loading up our car and there was lready an inch or two on the ground!!! We were so surpised and giddy--and all the kids had gotten snow boots & sleds from hubs' mom--it was great!  And then we got on the road...eep!  Apparently our city had not planned on snow so soon and winthin those 2 hours of accumulation the roads were covered and slick w/ice.  We slipped and slid and our normal 15 minute drive just about doubled in time before we made it safely.  I was really worried about my sister in law though, she had to drive to Smiths Grove, which is normally at least half an hour away...with 5 kids in the car!  Thankfully everyone made it safely and we came home to this:

And then on Christmas morning:

We don't get much snow in Bowling Green, and haven't had a white Christmas in years!  It was perfect!!

My parents came by the next morning to do presents at our house before they headed to Paducah, and then it was just the two of us (and Butch of course)!  I've got to say it was the best Christmas of our marraige :).   We laid around and watched movies, played some board games & Wii and just enjoyed the day together.  We had more time together that day than we'd  had probably in the past 6 months combined!  It was lovely.  For dinner I decided to conquer one of my cooking fears: steak!  I had seen the filet au poivre recipe on the Pioneer woman's website and decided that I could do it.  I made some yeast rolls & baked potatoes, then I set up a candle-lit dinner at the dining room table and we had sparkling grape juice (not really alcohol drinkers).  It was as good as a date out!  I used ribeyes for the steak and they were okay, but then I tried it again later in the week w/sirloins and oh. my. goodness.  AMAZING!  that's hubs' favorite cut of steak anyway so it was quite the hit.  Sadly, I forgot to take any pictures during any of our Christmas festivities, but here is a picture of the repeated steak dinner--you should definitely try the recipe!

I got some very special Christmas presents as well hubs surprised me w/my own GPS (because I get lost and often borrow his and don't give it back) and this beautiful necklace!

  

I got several things to help w/the baking including new airbake cookie sheets and best of all, the glass kitchenaid mixing bowl for my mixer!!  (from my mom).  Also extremely special was a gift from my dad: the Oswald Chambers devotional journal "My Utmost for His Highest" but the best thing about it is that he had gone through and wrote a message to me on every day of the year!  There were definitely lots of tears at that one, and just knowing that my dad had dedicated time every single day of the year to write something to me...wow. I am so blessed!

The day after Christmas was spent at my Aunt's in Owensboro.  Another wonderful time w/family, food, and presents, but the best part was really celebrating the "reason for the season."  We did our family's traditional advent with the candles and read Luke 2:8-14 with teh Christmas story and talked about the things that God has done in the last year.  It was wonderful!

This was such a great Christmas, and I hope we will always remember it!

guilt

so...I have guilt.  I think every woman does.  You hear a lot about "mom guilt"--how mothers seem to feel guilty for everything that they do or don't do: if they stay home to be with their kids they have guilt over not providing financially, if they work outside the home they feel guilt over not being home with the kids, guilt over doing anything for themselves, etc...

Well right now I'm dealing with a case of what I will call "childless and jobless guilt." I have two more days of training my replacement at my job before I start  my "semi-retirment." (that reminds me--i haven't yet really gone into what I will be doing after I quit other than the health stuff--will update that soon hopefully).  As I'm preparing for this transition I'm just really struggling with the things that I think I should be doing.  I guess my main reason for this guilt is that I feel that if I do not have children, I have no right to be staying at home.  In this time I could continue working (though it would probably negatively impact my health) and saving up more money so that if/when we have children we would not have so many financial strains.  I have plans for things to do--cleaning, organizing, making our house really a home, tackling the mountains of piles that are going on, catching up on my scrapbooks, knitting, crafting, reading, having dinner for my husband when he gets home at night--so many things, but I just don't feel like it's enough.  Do you ever feel like that?  Like there is always more that you should be doing?

I know that this is the right choice for us.  I know that it will help our future, and hubs is even starting to really enjoy it now that the house is cleaner and he gets a good meal when he gets home every night instead of waiting another hour for me to get off work, and then waiting for me to finish dinner (which all too often meant a cold-cut sandwich).  Butch is thrilled to have mommy at home w/her too.  I think everyone is ultimately happy with the decision (minus the little aspect of tighter purse-strings) but it is still gnawing at me.  I think every woman would love to have this opportunity, so why is it fair that I get it?  Yeah, it is ultimately due to my health issues, but I just don't feel like that is enough of a  reason. 

Plus, I have always worked outside the home.  Since I was 16 I was working (at the same office that I am leaving now!).  When other kids were on summer or winter breaks from school, I was picking up extra hours at the office.  I have never just had a break.  And honestly I didn't need to work that much, but I just did b/c I like to work hard.  I think that is where so much of this guilt comes from.  I always see things that need to be done and that I can do and I always have multiple things going on at once.  It wasn't enough just to manage an office.  I had to do that plus college ministry, plus taking care of the house, plus weekly baking for my co-workers, plus a few little direct-selling businesses.  But I don't think there are any women on earth who don't have some "plus" things.  Don't we all try to do it all? 

Then there is the pressure on hubs.  How is it fair for me to not be working while he is practially working 2 jobs?  He has a freelance videography business that is growing by leaps and bounds, as well as his 40 hour/week computer consulting job.  I can try to talk myself into believing that before I basically had the two full-time jobs of maintaining our home (I've always done pretty much everything housework-wise) and working at my office, so now I'm just going to have one "job"....but it doesn't seem to be validated when I am not earning a paycheck.  I don't think that anyone would argue against the fact that homemakers work extremely hard--and it's not like you can leave that work at the office and go home--there is always something to clean, someone to feed, things to get rid of...but our culture defines people so much by salaries that it is hard to get an adequate value for that kind of work.  I feel like it is unfair--at my age & without children--to have him solely responsible for our finances.  That is a lot of pressure on him-- though we have no debt and have honestly had a basically stress-free marriage when it comes to money, I'm just afraid that I'm throwing that away without enough cause. 

It's just a weird situation.  I almost feel like I have to have a baby just to justify this move in my mind! eep!  What about you?  Do you have guilt that you are struggling with?  Is this mostly a "woman-thing" or do men struggle with it constantly too?

Fab Five Friday, moments edition

This has been a wonderful and interesting week for me.  It's my first full week on my amended July schedule, meaning that I'm only working 2 days, and have started my water aerobics class.  It's kinda weird to get used to the changes, but I've had a lot of great moments!

1. Watching kiddie shows w/hubs.  We are a silly pair.  I have a strange aversion to all drama, horror, or suspense movies...(I like to watch happy things with lots of color...so we have sitcoms, reality trash TV, rom-coms, old musicals, or things that were intended to be watched by children.)  Well, in the past few weeks, hubs and I have been indulging our inner children.  It started with repeat viewings of Disney's Enchanted (which he would dance around to.  heehee), then a date to go see Toy Story 3 (and I sobbed and sobbed) then this week we have been watching my dvd of Sesame Street's 40 Years of Sunny Days--it has all our favorites from childhood and we sing along and it's perfect!!  I'm so happy that I married someone goofy like me :).

2.  I'm famous!  Not really, but I sure felt special on Monday... I recently did a book review of Sascha Rothchild's new-ish book,  How to Get Divorced by 30:My Misguided Attempt at a Starter Marriage.  I loved the book and you can read my review here, but even more important than my review, head down and read the comments...comment #2 is from Sascha Rothchild--the author!  So cool!!  It really made my day :)

3. Grocery shopping on a week day.  True, in my old schedule, I could officially have done this on Fridays, but I like to go shopping towards the beginning of a new week to stock up for our foodie needs.  To me, this is the ultimate luxury :).  I don't have to go to Walmart on Saturday or Sunday when the lines are a mile long, the aisles are crammed, and it makes me so cranky that I want to scream and cry.  It is fairly calm.  And my beloved Kroger is even better!  And they aren't out of rotissery chickens!  woohoo!  LOVE IT. 

4.  Old lady water aerobics.  I keep calling it that, and hope that I don't offend anyone by it!  But seriously, most of the women in my new water aerobics class are old enough to be my great-grandma!  I'm taking water aerobics on Tuesdays & Thursdays now and am excited to finally be doing regular exercise that my body doesn't rebel against!  My mother in law and a former co-worker are in the class as well.  It's fun and I get a workout and enjoy the company :).

5.  The sweetest blog post a friend can write.  My dear friend and coworker Holly wrote this post about me yesterday.  To me, a blog post about someone is like sending them a very special card, but loving them so much that you want to put it out there for the whole world to see.  It brought joy to my heart and tears to my eyes.  I love her dearly and am sad to no longer see her on a weekly basis at the office.  But her words of encouragement mean the world to me.  Thank you Holly--I love you!!

Well, that's my fab five for this week.  Head over to Emily's blog to see who joined in this little blog carnival for the week, and in the meantime, let me know what made your week fab!

parenthood

i'm thinking a lot about children/parenthood lately.  but not in the way that one might expect a happily married-for-four-years 20-something to think. at least not someone in that position in this part of the country ;).

kids scare me.  a. lot.  while so many young women have images of smiling faces, pudgy cheeks, and tiny clothes, i have visions of toddlers throwing tantrums, kids talking back, annoying pre-teens, and obnoxiously terrifying teenagers.  a husband stressed out from working two jobs to support our family so i can stay home b/c the doctor has said that i can't work and have kids.  my house more of a mess than it already is b/c i don't have the energy or desire to do anything other than collapse after the kids are in bed.  marital tension b/c we both feel that we are pulling more than our share of the weight in our respective areas--him financially and me around the house and with the kids.  i picture fights over how to raise the kids, arguments with the kids over boundaries we set, trying to figure out how to balance my husband's tech-savvy with my desire to keep the kids from having cell phones and laptops and tvs in their rooms.  how to shelter the kids from the big bad world enough but not too much.  how to discipline? how to do school?  how to afford college?  what about dating?  what about driving?  i see it as work.  work that does not end.  ever.  because once that baby comes out, you are responsible for a little person who has thoughts and feelings and needs and desires and wants and a sinful nature that is automatically going to drive this little one to do the wrong thing.  and all this is the norm in a happy healthy family!  my head hurts just thinking about it.

i know that those things are not all that parenthood is about--if they were people would have stopped a long time ago!  i know that there is love and joy and fun times and happy memories and pride in seeing your child grow and accomplish, but right now i can't escape the fear.  and i just don't understand why.  it's not like i'm a career-driven woman.  i mean, i'm practically retiring at the age of 26 due to health problems!  i know that a huge part of it is because of those health problems.  will i ever be able to be the mom that i imagined with limitations that i may have now?  how will i possibly have enough energy to care for my children and husband when i currently end up stuck in bed after too much work or too little sleep?  and i did imagine myself as a mother--that is honestly the only thing that i ever wanted in life since childhood.  my mom stayed home with us and i wanted to do the exact same thing since i was a little girl.  i loved playing house and with baby dolls and in the kitchen.  i spent a huge part of my youth babysitting and working childcare and of course my "grown up" job is in a pediatric office.  it just makes sense for me. and i always take on a mothering roll with people that i love.  whether it be carrying my giant "mom purse" to be sure i am prepared for any situation, to stocking medicine and snacks in my desk to take care of my coworkers.  though i have no children i am a mother at heart. 

so i don't get why i don't want kids.  i am surrounded by friends who already have kids or who are currently pregnant and even several who are starting the adoption process or becoming foster parents--they all want this so much, even the ones who never seemed that maternal, but i am absolutely terrified!  i don't get it.  i feel like there is something wrong with me.  i even went so far as to google "why don't i want children?" just to try to make sense of it...and some good reasons came up.  things like being worried about passing on genetic/health conditions (yep, that's one); concern over not being ready/husband not being ready (that is true too...i think hubs will be a great father but i do anticipate future struggles--his picky eating habits rubbing off on the kids, me ending up overwhelmed by motherhood + housework while he works so hard...); being afraid (duh--that's what we're talking about here!) but other things like being career driven & not liking kids just don't fit me at all.  but obviously i should be looking to the Lord for answers here rather than Google.  it's just confusing to me and i want some reason why i am at such a different place than i expected to be.

i know i'm still young and have plenty of time to make these decisions, and thankfully hubs feels the same about it so it isn't an issue of pressure from either of us.  but i do feel pressure.  people think "it's time."  we've been married for 4 years, together for 8, why would we need any more time for just the two of us?  especially when we're done with school and settled down with a house and all that.  i don't feel like i have any friends in this situation b/c it seems like the couples that i know who don't have kids are trying to get pregnant/adopt/foster parent...  and i'm just running screaming away from children.  and i like our life.  i like the freedom that we have to pursue our passions.  i like that my time is my own.  and maybe that sounds (or is) selfish, but that is the life we have now.  but it gets lonely being in this position.  people don't understand why we would choose this, even if it is just a choice for now.

but i guess that is all it has to be.  our choice for now.  i'll let you know if it changes.

Apple Crisp for boys who like to bet

So my husband...the dear man that I married and who promised to love and honor me no matter what...apparently he has a gambling problem.

Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a bit.  Really there have been only a few times that he has bet on any things and most of them have been in his "money league" for fantasy football which is just a fee to play that is later divided up to the winners.

But last week he decided that he had a different safer way to bet with his friends.  Some kind of game, I don't really know what, but he bet with his friend Jack on who would win, and the stakes?  Well, since he is not really the kind of guy who likes to risk any money he decided to bet that if he lost I would make Jack whatever dessert he wanted.  If he won, Jack would pay him whatever I would normally charge to make that dessert for an order.  He saw it as a win-win.  Of course he did.  I guess I should be flattered that his friends value my baked goods as highly as money!

Well, needless to say, he lost.  And Jack chose an apple crisp, so here we are. 

Recently Joy the Baker posted a list of her favorite recipes, and it included this one for an apple crisp.  I bookmarked it and decided that it would be a fun one to try.

I made a tiny sample of the crisp in a custard cup as well so I could try it before sending it off for his friend and it really was wonderful!  I would have liked it better with whipped cream or ice cream, but I didn't want to whip any up for my tiny bit of crisp.  I meant to take pictures of that too so you could see what it looks like, but it was gone too fast!  (I did NOT, however, save any for hubs.  hmmph. )

I also used my handy-dandy apple peeler/corer and had forgotten how fun it is!  Lovely ribbons of apple peel all over...

sorry the picture is awful but it is 10:00 at night and hubs is taking it to his friend tomorrow morning!

Sit and Stay Awhile Apple Crisp
 from Joy the Baker
 
bake in an 8x8 baking dish or double the recipe and bake in a 9x13 dish

Filling:
5 to 6 medium-size apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices. (About 7.5 cups)
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, well-softened
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1/3 cup quick oats

Preheat the oven to 350. Generously grease an 8x8 baking pan with butter.

Place a layer of apple slices in the bottom of the pan and dust with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Continue layering apples and dusting with cinnamon/sugar until done. Toss the apple mixture until evenly coated in cinnamon sugar. The apples should be just about to the top of the pan (they will cook down).

For the topping, place the flour, brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon and oats in a large bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon. Work the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until evenly distributed. Take one full handful of the topping and toss it into the sugared apple mixture. Spread the rest of the topping evenly over the apples. (I usually end up with a dough-like topping that I just lay on top of the apples).

Bake the crisp in the dish on a baking sheet on the center oven rack until the topping is crunchy and the apples are bubbling, 55-60 minutes.

Serve hot; it's excellent with vanilla ice cream.

my weekend, and msc

Well, today I am home and had eggs for breakfast...and I didn't get to make the Lemon Meringue Cupcakes for MSC...

But I'm not sick!  Woohoo!  I'm taking a vacation day after a weekend with my bestest in Spring Hill, TN. 
We ate and wandered around downtown Franklin, then went to the factory and painted pottery!  So fun! 

I made a teacup and saucer and she made a super cute bowl.  We had a blast and just enjoyed time together!  After Franklin we went back to her home for dinner and Friends Scene-it, followed by my first time seeing The Proposal. Then we went to my very favorite church that takes me back to my youth!  The reason I came in that weekend was because it was Baby Dedication day and I got to see their sweet daughter Charlotte be dedicated to the Lord!  It was just a special and very sweet weekend full of people that I love.  Once again, I am ready to pack up and move!  If only hubs wasn't so rooted in Bowling Green...

Speaking of hubs...I have to brag on him just a bit.  This was one of the first times that I have been gone on a weekend that he was not super busy filming.  I had already taken Monday off and planned to use it to catch up on the things I didn't get to do while I was out of town...but I came home and they were done!  He did the laundry and folded it and put it away (as well as he could, lol), he unloaded and re-loaded the dishwasher, and...for the biggest shock ever...he mopped the kitchen floor!!!!!  I think that every couple has their regular issues that they argue about, and one of our biggest ones is the allocation of household responsibilities.  In general, I do 95% of things around the house, and usually need to let him know when one of "his jobs" needs to be done.  I don't mind too much b/c he basically works 2 jobs, so this is like my extra stuff--but sometimes I get overwhelmed, and the past few weeks have been one of those times.  I did not at all ask him to do anything while I was gone, but he chose to serve me in that way, and it just made me feel so very loved :)  And honestly, I don't think he has EVER mopped the floor in our house, so that was awesome!  

It was just an amazing weekend and I am so excited that I got to enjoy it!  And as for why I didn't make this month's cupcakes, well, I recently made lemon curd and do not have any lemons (or curd) left, and am trying to save money, and cut back on calories, so that's what's up.  Sorry I missed this challenge Megan, but they look wonderful!

my loves

It's been a crazy day and I don't have a ton of time to post, but I just wanted to honor the special day that today is:  March 10th is the most special day because...it is my and hubs' dating anniversary, and Butch's birthday!!!

Today hubs and I are 8 years old (crazy!!!) and Butchy-bear is 3!  Sadly, we did not really get to "celebrate" but I got Butch a new toy and hubs and I spent a lot of time talking.  Money stuff is no fun.  But I love him.  And her.  These two always make me laugh.

 How could I not laugh at these crazies??

Friday favorites : my hubs :)

In light of Valentines day (we are celebrating this week instead of last due to my stupid broken body...)I thought that I would do my Friday Favorites post this week on my wonderful man, and some of the things that are my favorite about him:

1. He always tries to make me laugh. Sometimes this gets on my nerves and I gripe at him for not being serious enough when I want him to be, but I really do like that he wants to see me laugh and smile.

2. He works his butt off at a 40 hour/week job + filming/editing almost more than that with his supplemental video business so we can pay off our house early and I will be able to stay home in a few years if/when we decide to have children. I take this for granted a lot, but he really has the desire and drive to provide so that I can be a stay at home momma when that time comes without having a lot of the financial pressures that many people have. It can be hard, but we are making sacrifices now so that we can be the best that we can be for our future family.

3. It's like we have the same brain! Now don't get me wrong, in some ways we are as opposite as can be, and we definitely don't have many common interests, but it seems that our minds work the same way, and we ultimately desire the same things for our family life. We think of the same movie or tv show references at the same time, we complete each other's thoughts and sentences... I like it :)

4. He gives me freedom. I really like that we both have things that we pursue on our own and then come back together for other things. I am so thankful that he understands and encourages me to have girl time with friends and lets me do whenever I need it. I love that he encourages me to pursue things that I love such as baking and blogging. I love that he trusts me to make smart choices (even when I don't always). We are still working on balancing time together and time apart, but I feel that in marriage you still need to have ways to grow yourself and be an individual, and I'm glad that he wants what is best for me.

5. He is honest (sometimes to a fault). There are times that I wish he would just tell me what I want to hear, but he always tells me the truth. That makes the times that he compliments me on something--whether it be something that I baked, the way that I look in an outfit, or a reason that he loves me--stand out so much more because there is no question in my mind that he really means it! I also know that I can trust him. Even when he has done things that he knew I would not really be happy about, he tells me (without even being asked). I know that I can trust him!

6. He is easy to please! Yes, he is an EXTREMELY picky eater, but that man will also be happy eating the same thing every day of the week. He does not go crazy lusting after new gadgets or cars, he is almost always happy in our relationship (I mean, he is married to ME after all ;) ), he is happy and content in his job. It's reassuring to me.

7. He has some odd little quirks that I really like (well, some of them get on my nerves, but are endearing at the same time)
~he sometimes cries at sweet movies or tv shows
~he gets song lyrics wrong--hilariously (i.e. "I'm your fetus" instead of "I'm your Venus")
~he bites butch on the leg every night when the three of us are cuddling. It really gets on my
nerves to be honest, but it's funny all the same.
~he sings a lot...mostly songs from the 70s.
~he is all about quoting tv shows and movies...I know all the quotes by heart now

8. He has a super immune system! lol. It's funny b/c I'm always broken, but at least I can be fairly confident that he will not catch the germs that I bring home from the office and that he will be healthy enough to keep our family going. He actually had 12 years perfect attendance in school! I, on the other hand, got a warning letter for missing too many days of school.

Well, that's a bit about the love of my life. We've been together for nearly 8 years and he has been loving and supportive through it all. I am all too often critical and discontent, but this is a very special man that I married and I'm thankful for him!

on our honeymoon nearly 4 years ago

What are some reasons that you are thankful for your spouse/significant other?

Snow Day Treats!

I spent a good deal of this snowy weekend baking and mixing up some yummys so I thought I would share them and their recipes with you!

1.Snow Cream!!! This is a treat from my childhood--and from many others' from what I saw on facebook today! Not really a "recipe" just some general guidelines for a nice frosty creamy treat!
1. Gather a big bowl of snow (this enamelware snowflake bowl is perfect!)

2. Add 1 1/2 cup milk, 3/4 cup sugar, a few drops of vanilla, and a few drops
of your favorite food coloring (just please don't use yellow--ewww didn't your mama tell you not to eat yellow snow?!?)

3. Mix until creamy and all ingredients are incorporated

4. Yum!!! Keep it in the freezer and enjoy throughout the day :)

2. French Toast
I told hubs that I was going to make him homemade french bread...well, he misunderstood me and thought I said "French toast" and was craving it so that's what we had for brunch today.

Denny's Style French Toast
from recipezaar.com

4 eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
6 slices Texas Toast thick bread (I used 8 slices of my homemade sourdough)
3-5 Tbps. butter
toppings of choice

-Whisk together first 7 ingredients
-Heat a large skilled or griddle on medium high heat
-add 1 tbps butter to hot skillet to grease
-dip each slice of bread into batter for 30 minutes on each side
-let some batter drip off, then place in skillet
-cook each side 1.5-2 minutes until golden brown.
-re-grease skillet and repeat until all ingredients used up
-top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

I thought this was great. Hubs thought it was alright--I think he will not be happy with french toast unless I deep fry it. weirdo. He did eat it up though and is gonna finish it off tomorrow!

3. Rustic Italian Bread
from "The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book" via How to Eat a Cupcake

As with all yeasted breads, this requires time and patience. I made it with the "sponge" but apparently you can make it in the same day if you leave that out. I was really excited about this b/c I got to use my dough hook on my KitchenAid for the first time! (I usually just make my bread by hand). I thought that the instructions for rolling the bread into a log were kinda hard to understand, and i may have overworked my dough a bit b/c of that, it is still really good and a huge hit w/hubs!

This recipe requires a bit of patience—the sponge, which gives the bread flavor, must be made 11 to 27 hours before the dough is made. We find it makes the most sense to prepare the sponge (which requires just 5 minutes of hands-on work) the day before you want to bake the bread.

On the second day, remove the sponge from the refrigerator and begin step 2 at least 7 hours before you want to serve the bread. If you own two standing mixer bowls, in step 1 you can refrigerate the sponge in the bowl in which it was made. Use the second bowl to make the dough in step 2. Have ready a spray bottle filled with water for misting the loaves.

Variation: SAME-DAY RUSTIC ITALIAN BREAD
If you don't have time for a sponge, this loaf can be made the same day, but the flavor won't be as complex, and the crumb will be finer and more uniform (like sandwich bread).
Omit the sponge. When assembling the dough in step 2, increase the amount of bread flour to 5 cups, increase the water to 2 1/4 cups, and increase the yeast to 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons).

Sponge
2 cups (11 ounces) bread flour
1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1/4 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast


Dough
3-3 1/2 cups (16 1/2 to 19 1/4 ounces) bread flour
1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees)
2 teaspoons salt

1. For the sponge: Stir all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until the sponge has risen and fallen, at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.

2. For the dough: Combine 3 cups of the flour and the yeast in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. With the mixer on low speed add the water and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

3. Remove the plastic wrap, add the sponge and salt, and knead the dough on medium-low speed until it is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. If after 4 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter, and knead by hand to form a smooth round ball. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

5. Turn the dough in the bowl with a dough scraper or large rubber spatula. Gently lift and fold a third of the dough toward the center. Repeat with the opposite side of the dough. Finally, fold the dough in half, perpendicular to the first folds. The dough shape should be a rough square. Cover, let rise for 30 more minutes, then repeat the turning process. Cover and let rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 30 minutes longer.

6. Top a rimless (or inverted) baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured counter, press it into a 10-inch square without tearing it, and gently dimple it with your fingertips. Fold the top corners diagonally to the middle. Using your fingertips and starting at the top of the dough, pull the underside of the dough up over the top, stretching it considerably, and begin to roll the dough up into a rough log. With each roll, press the seam firmly to seal. Continue to do this, forming the dough into a taut log, 5 to 7 more times. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, seam side down, and gently tuck the ends into a taut loaf. Mist the loaf with vegetable oil spray, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size and the dough barely springs back when poked with a knuckle, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

7. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position, place a baking stone on the rack, and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Let the baking stone heat for at least 30 minutes (but no longer than 1 hour).

8. Cut three 1/2-inch deep diagonal slashes across the top of the dough and spray the loaf lightly with water. Carefully slide the loaf and parchment onto the hot baking stone. Bake the bread for 10 minutes. (i removed my parchment paper at this point b/c it was looking quite "toasted")

9. Rotate the bread, reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees, and continue to bake until the center of the loaf registers 210 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and the crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

10. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack, discard the parchment, and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, before serving.

4. Homemade Graham Crackers, SUCCESS!

I won't re-type the whole recipe, you can find it in this post. Just use 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour and only bake for 12 minutes, not 24!! These are actually very easy--I made the whole thing in the food processor and beyond the chilling time there was nothing to it! Hubs loves them too, which was the whole point!

Well, I hope you enjoy these snowy day treats! We had a very fun morning playing in the snow, but poor Butchy was not having any of it!

We got her all dressed up in her coat and boots (notice the "fur" trim)

Then she refused to play! Hubs tried to make her by carrying her back to the snow but she just ran back to the deck.

Sad times. We realized that there isn't so much to do in the snow when you are grown up and don't have sleds!

did I ever tell you that hubs thought that penguins are fish? We had an argument about it early in our relationship. silly boy.

I was reminded of this while watching Happy Feet

A few things I want to do better...

2009 has been a year of some great changes and developments in my life. After discovering the wonderful world of blogging I joined several baking groups and have challenged myself to try new things that used to terrify me! Sadly, all the baking has not been good for my waistline...as we know, "Taste makes waist!!"

As I enter this new year, I have a few goals that I want to focus on:

1. Improving my overall health. I started '09 having recently lost about 10 pounds after joining Sparkpeople. I did pretty well at maintaining that loss for a few months, but have since gained it back plus more. This is largely in part to the baking, but also due to my health issues and medications. On top of my fibromyalgia and CFS, I have developed plantar fasciitis--the three of those have made any exercise excruciatingly painful: the prior conditions because my body is so worn out and painful the next day if I overdo it at all, but the plantar fasciitis makes my feet hurt so badly that I cannot run or even walk or use my gazelle for more than about 10 minutes without wanting to cry from the pain. My doctor said that the only exercise I can really do right now is swimming...that's exactly what you want to do when you're fat right? I need to join a gym so I can do this, but I hate to spend that money when I used to be able to just use my gazelle or bike at home for free! Oh well, I know that losing weight will improve my conditions overall, so I have got to figure this out. I am getting back on with Spark for real and tracking my food intake again. Pray for me b/c this is so hard!

2. Being a better steward of my money. I wasted way too much money this year on things that I did not use (i.e., more magazine subscriptions than I could possibly read!). Even with the economic climate, we had not really been effected so I just acted like money was nothing and bought what I wanted. This is stupid. I have to make wiser decisions about what I buy. I used to be really good about this, but I guess I got cocky about our financial state and got greedy about stuff. No more. If that means staying at the office on my lunch hour instead of running "errands" (aka shopping for things I don't need) then that I what I do--hey, it will also make me bring my lunch instead of getting fast food! Win-win!

3. Letting things go. I have been too much of a pack-rat (verging on "hoarding") and just need to get rid of things that I don't use or need, regardless of the memories attached. I will never be a person who just gets rid of everything, but there is no reason to keep all my magazines after I read them. No reason to keep bulky mementos from my past when I can just take a picture and put it in a scrapbook. No reason to keep clothes that I can't fit into that aren't even in style anymore! Also, I am not going to keep all the supplies I have for hobbies that I don't even participate in anymore. It just makes me feel guilty!

4. Waste less time. I have a problem with computer card games (solitare, freecell, etc..)and I will sit and play them mindlessly for way too long. There are way better things to do with my time!

5. Read BOOKS again. Through college I did nothing but read theology and philosophy and religious history and all kinds of things that challenge your mind. Then I graduated and made a choice to give myself a break and read cookbooks, magazines, and novels. While I don't think those things are bad, I need to find a balance again. Also, I have allowed several of my magaine subscriptions to lapse and am going to spend more time reading actual books! I also may need to edit my list of blogs that I follow b/c that takes a ton of time as well. A few practical things with this: I will keep magazines in the car for when I'm at a light or in a drive through line, and in the bathrooms so I can read while...well...you know. I will keep my Bible, journal, and a few devotionals in my bedroom to do before bed. I had gotten lazy in this area over the past year and need to focus on spending time with God again and focusing on my faith--I have to do these each night before any other reading. Other stuff can be whenever...

6. Organize/cleaning. I have a bad habit of letting things pile up until I am absolutely overwhelmed and the thought of starting the cleaning intimidates me. If I clean as I go, I will be less likely to get to this nightmare point. This also goes along w/point number 3--I don't need to keep everything in my house!

7. Spend more time w/hubs. We have both gotten so wrapped up in doing our "own thing" recently that we have not spent enough quality time together. I miss him!

Well, I think that's it for right now...just keep me accountable! I am going to revamp my "other" much neglected blog, previously entitled "adventures in organic eating", to be a log of my efforts in some of these things. This will be a little more personal and much focused on the weight issues--and will NOT be automatically posted to facebook like this blog is, so if you are interested in following along with all that, the blog is "to be a better me."

Well, thanks for following along with all my crazy life stuff, and I hope you are all having an encouraging start to the new year!

Holiday wrap-up

Hello again! So sorry that I have been so out of touch over the past few weeks. As with everyone else, the Christmas season was incredibly crazy and my brain was running so fast that I could not slow down and process enough to actually write a coherant post...plus our internet was screwed up and I couldn't upload pictures...and you know that's half the fun of blogging!

Well, instead of writing separate posts for each of the momentous occasions of the holiday season, i'll sum it up with a few pictures, and then maybe a separate post with a few of my go-to potluck recipes.

Thanksgiving was wonderful and for the first time we combined both my mom and dad's extended families into one dinner instead of spreading it out over two days. It was bittersweet as this was our first holiday since my Granny passed away. Dinner was lovely...my dad smoked his amazing turkey and everyone brought their best dishes. Then we had our Thanksgiving tradition of the "thankful tree" Every place has a pen and paper leaf cut out of construction paper. We each write down some things that we are thankful for and then take time to go around the table, share what we are most thankful for that year, and offer a prayer of Thanksgiving to God. Then my parents tape the leaves onto a branch from the yard that they have "planted" and leave it up for display.

dinner w/the Weakley & Pruitte families (minus dad--he was behind the camera)


our feast!


my plate vs. hubs (note, this is not to make me look like a pig, but rather to show how picky he is)


butchy wants some turkey!

the thankful tree


and a close up of some of our leaves

Sadly, I forgot to take my camera to the Edmundson family Thanksgiving. It was a good time with everyone, but I was very sad b/c hubs had to work so I had to go without him! I enjoyed that I had free reign to tell funny stories about him though ;)

The next big event was my office Christmas party, and unfortunately I forgot my camera for that as well! We had a great time though I was exhausted b/c I had a marathon baking session--I make homemade sourdough bread & cookies for everyone in the office! Here's my crazy process:

each batch of the starter makes 3 loaves...I had 11 batches going: 33 loaves of bread. Once again, I ran out of bowls and had to use some pots & pans!


rising, and baked (along w/some cookies)

Santa Clause also made a trip to my office on Christmas eve, and made it a very special trip to the doctor for one adorable little girl!

Christmas was wonderful, we got everything we could have wanted and more! :) The Edmundson family had our Christmas celebration on Christmas eve after I got off work. We saw a Christmas Carol and then went back to hubs' parents house for gifts and dinner. One of my favorite gifts is a massage mat and massaging shoes for all my pain! It was kinda funny though, b/c my sis-in-law got these really fancy red patent leather heels and I got my massaging shoe things at the same time...and I'm younger! lol. It was really a fun night and we enjoyed the time with everyone. I'm just sad that I forgot my camera!

We saw my family on Christmas day after opening our presents and stockings at home (I got hubs some fleece pans w/bulldogs on them and some bulldog houseshoes--butchy tries to give them a "high five" whenever he wears them b/c they have little arms on the side). After my parents house we went to my Aunt Gail's and took butch with us!(in her Mrs. Claws outfit I might add) I did bring my camera for that one and we got a cute family picture:

The funniest thing there was that Aunt Gail has a little pomeranian who did NOT like Butch at all. We tried to keep them across the room from one another and keep Butch surrounded by boxes, but any time there was a gap Gina (the dog) would dart across the room like a little bullet, nip Butch on the neck, and then run away before Butch could react.

sworn enemies


stylin' in her Mrs. Claws outfit and boots ;)

Once again, it was a bittersweet night as this was the first Christmas without my Granny, but Aunt Gail made it extra special by having an extra gift under the tree for everyone from a "Secret Angel" with something of Granny's for us to help remember her. We ended the night by doing our traditional advent devotional and it was lovely!

aunt gail's tree

I guess that wraps up the holidays! We had a very low-key new year's eve, working on cleaning (me) and video projects (hubs) with short breaks for pizza and watching the ball drop. Today has been more of the same, exept with an injured bulldog! I don't know what happened to her, but she was running around one minute, and the next her back right leg was spasming and she has limped all day. :( thankfully we had some pain pills left from her last injury!

Well, 2009 was a wonderful year filled with some very special moments--and my instroduction to the blogging world! I'm so excited for a new year and new adventures!

Now I've got to clean up the holiday aftermath!

Wifey Wednesday: To Purge or Not to Purge?

No, not purging of food (though I've got to get rid of the junk in this house!!)...over on To Love Honor & Vacuum (an awesome blog!) Sheila has asked:

So here's our question of the day: what do you do with a packrat husband? Has anyone dealt with this before? Or what do you do if he's way messier than you are? How do you find a compromise?

I don't usually link on the Wifey Wednesday posts, but since I was already planning a post in this area, I thought it would be quite fitting!

I may have mentioned this before, but I am a bit of a packrat and not the tidiest person in the world. We didn't have much money when I was little, though we never went without, but my dad definitely had the mindset of never wasting anything b/c his family really struggled financially He has been known to dumpster dive...more than a few of our childhood toys were picked up off the side of the road...and when I was in college he was like a kid on Christmas when everyone was moving out and they had the huge dumpsters behind the dorms!! and really, people threw away good stuff b/c they didn't want to take it home... So I have been raised to really put a value on obtaining stuff for little or no money, and also not to waste!
The same types of attitudes seem to be in hubs' family. When his grandmother passed away and we helped to clean her house we found SO much stuff and she clearly held onto anything that she felt had value or usefulness.

I am definitely thankful that we are at least similar in our backgrounds so that we aren't always fighting and driving each other crazy with our opposing habits, but we do not motivate one another to get things done...that is for sure.

I find that I am more motivated to get rid of excess stuff...especially now that there are so many options for recycling & selling things on consignment, but hubs doesn't like to let things go. I often watch shows like Hoarders and Clean House to motivate myself to accomplish some organiation...but this week I saw that those same things would not motivate hubs. I was watching an episode of Hoarders which depicted a man who had amassed an out-of-control collection of beer cans, and was facing bankruptcy due to his compuslion to keep collecting. Hubs walked through the room and saw a clip of the show and said "Oh no! Why are they making him get rid of his collection?!?" At that moment I just laughed and thought...I wonder why my house looks the way it does? Not that I'm blaming him totally....I definitely have my share in the mess. It's just funny.

Well, this is what I am facing right now. Needless to say, I am quite overwhelmed:

the view from the doorway

and from the corner...
AHHH!!! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!!

This is my "craft room"/guest room/hubs extra computers. Eventually this room is meant to be a child's room, but I don't know how we would ever fit one in here without squishing them! We have filled our house--we have too much stuff. Two people should not require over 1400 square feet just for stuff! This room is the catch-all room, when I am cleaning for people to come over, I tend to focus on the common areas and since we do not use this room regularly, everything just gets thrown in there. Right now, I have to get the room in order b/c I have some friends visiting next weekend and at least one will be spending the night so they need a place to sleep.

So, in answer to Sheila's questions, hubs and I are pretty much on the same messy page in all of this. I still have about 98% of the housekeeping duties and focus on keeping our "common areas" neat; but he has the freedom to keep his office however he wants. I maintain most of the other areas, he puts his dishes in the sink and recycles his cans and bottles and takes out the trash and part of the recycling (we have MUCH more recycling than trash, something that I am very proud of :) ). If there is something that is just taking up space and not of any value to us we discuss it and take it to consignment or throw it away if it's okay with him. If not, I usually just put it in "his room" and try to forget about it. Things will have to change somewhat for us to have room for kids (!) but we're working on it.

I really want to get rid of a lot this year, and I am not waiting until the new year to start cleaning! The room looks a little better, but I have a lot do, and am feeling motivated. I just want to keep it going this time.

so once again, i have been neglecting the blog-so sorry! life has been absolutely crazy...
i was gonna upload some pictures of the craziness, but the stupid computer is tired.

suffice it to say, i baked myself silly for the office christmas party last week--36 loaves of bread and thousands of cookies...i stayed up till 3 am last friday night and was so tired and discouraged because i just was NOT managing my time well. I had to go to walmart at midnight for something...i don't remember what now...maybe eggs??--oh wait, it was treat bags for the cookies!! i was so tired and hurting that i was literally holding back tears! then i came home and was getting frustrated so i started throwing bits of cookie dough on the ground. It was so nasty that I JUST cleaned it tonight b/c it was so intimidating. I did not get all the cookies done in time for the party, but I took the rest back to the office and everyone loved them. The party also went really well, and I collapsed that night and stayed in bed for the rest of the weekend and unfortunately on Monday as well b/c my stupid sinus infection got worse and the CFS, fibro, and plantar fasciitis were just wearing me out!

Hubs has been super busy the past few weeks as well and it's been hard--we've had very little time together and i miss him :( We got a bit of a date night on Tuesday evening and went to get new phones! yippee! My poor little razor got too tired just like me. The screen started displaying upside down or then not at all some of the buttons stopped working. I was planning to get one of the .99 or $10 phones with renewing my contract, but they had a buy one get one free deal on the LG Spyder so hubs and I both got them--I feel so fancy! and now I have a texting plan too!!

I have been very busy w/dessert orders as well as my scentsy business so that is also super exciting! I feel very blessed to have something on the side that can bring a little extra money for us.

Finally--and I can't go into details yet--I need to ask for your prayers. We have some major changes and decisions ahead that were not expected. I will be posting about it fairly soon I think, but just please pray for us! If you really want to know the details feel free to FB message or email me, it's just not something that I can put out publicly yet. (and no, it doesn't involve babies)

Well, hopefully I will be more consistent, and I hope you are all having a great Christmas season!

100 posts!

For my 100th post I decided to do 50 random things about me...so enjoy! (planned to do 100...but I was having a hard time coming up w/things and didn't want to keep postponing other blog topics)

1. I was born in Johnson City, Tennessee, but I have lived in Bowling Green, Kentucky since I was about 2 years old.

2. I was born with a perforated intestine and had to have multiple surgeries during the first few weeks and months of my life. I became septic and almost died. Even though I had all the surgeries, the doctors were not able to locate the perforation, but it miraculously healed itself! The doctor said it was a "medical miracle"

3. I still have a huge scar across my stomach from the surgeries. It creates an indentation in the middle of my stomach...and in the center of it you can still see the needle holes from where I was stitched up. When I was younger I used to stick earrings through the holes to freak my friends out.

4. I ADORE Christmas :) I am so happy and filled with Christmas spirit this year that I almost cry with joy when I hear the Christmas songs in stores :)

5. When I was little I was VERY bad at naming our pets...I had cats named Blackey, Whitey, and Pretty. original right?

6. I have always wanted to be a mom, but now that I'm in a place where it is a possibility, the thought of having children scares me to death!

7. I have compulsive tendencies which manifest mostly when it comes to shopping...I buy things in multiples when I get interested in them and therefore have stuffed my house to the brim!

8. I love children's books. my favorite authors are Rosemary Wells, and (of course) Beatrix Potter (i recently got all the peter rabbit series for 1.99 per book!)

9. I grew up shopping only at consignment shops and discount stores like TJ Maxx so I don't really know how to shop at retail stores where everything is organized and displayed nicely--it doesn't seem as fun unless I have to dig!

10. Shopping in these types of stores is bad for me b/c since the inventory is always changing, I feel like I have to buy it right then or I might lose it! so I often buy things I don't really need or have use for...

11. I love using my hands and being crafty...I knit, sew, scrapbook, make clay ornaments, and of course, bake. I love trying new hobbies and dabbling in a bit of everything.

12. I adore reading and buying books. I have at least 6 bookshelves in my house with everything from religious studies and philosophy books to cookbooks, craft books and chick lit--not to mention the magazines!

13. I have crazy wild dreams and nightmares. Most of them are located at my childhood home, a big hotel (where we used to go for campus crusade winter conferences), daytona beach, or my church. I regularly have dreams about being chased and running through stairwells and also trying to fly.

14. My husband refuses to listen to my dream stories anymore. He thinks I'm crazy.

15. I love old movies (especially musicals). When I was little we would check them out from the library. One time I cried because we had to give the Ten Commandments (Charlton Heston version of course) back and the librarian extended our check out time.

16. I don't really like current movies, and I pretty much refuse to watch dramas or anything that will stress me out or make me cry.

17. I have very eclectic taste in music, but lately have been gravitating towards more indie bands. In general, I like music that has a sleepy dream-like quality.

18. I still have almost all my childhood toys--I wanted to keep every one for my future children to play with. They are all still in my parent's attic.

19. The only toy I ever got rid of was my "brightly" doll--I little pink bean-shaped plastic thing that would glow when you squeezed it. I gave it away at a children's toy drive, and I wished I had it back for years and years. **i just tried googling it and apparently it was one of the "snugglebums" dolls**

20. My favorite food as a child was my granny's biscuits and gravy and she would make them for me any time we would visit. I liked them so much that my dad called me "biscuit"

21. I went to a very strict Fundamentalist Baptist school called Anchored Christian School. There were only 2 other girls in my class, and I had the same teacher for 1st, & 4th-7th grade.

22. I have worked at my office for 9 years--it is the same pediatric office that I went to as a child (and was still officially a patient until 3 years ago when they made me get a "grown-up" doctor for my chronic health issues). I got my job there b/c I was in the office 2x a week for allergy shots, so I figured it would be a good after school job! I asked if they hired people under 18...persevered through years of filing and copying after school...and now I'm the Office Manager!

23. I started dating my hubs during our senior year of high school. We stayed together all through college and have been happily married for 3 years!

24. The house that hubs and I bought was the home of my childhood pastor and I used to come here and play with his daughter when I was little. We bought the house from a family who was also in ministry and one of my former Bible study girls had her first kiss here when the old owners lived here! lots of fun history...

25. I have never purchased a new car--I bought "my" car from my parents when hubs and I got married for a few hundred dollars...it is a 1989 camry, almost as old as I am! We've tossed around the idea of getting a "new" car (aka...something made in the past decade) but I just can't justify it when all I do is drive to and from work!

26. I never have enough clean spatulas, whisks, or mixing bowls.

27. I am a pack rat, as is my husband. Our little house is full to bursting already!

28. I am obsessive about recycling. I keep a box under my desk at work to recycle junk mail, boxes, and cans and bottles and then take it home to recycle. It literally hurts me to throw things away that could be reused! I HATE WASTE!!!

29. I compost food scraps even though I don't garden...(see #28)

30. I like to dress my pets in clothes. I did this when I was a kid too, but thankfully Butch is okay with it. Kitty...not so much.

31. I have too many magazines to read.

32. I love TV on DVD and will watch an entire series over a weekend or two (and will watch them over and over)

33. I hate hand-washing dishes.

34. The sweetest present that hubs ever gave me was 3 months into our relationship, he bought me a new copy of my favorite childhood book "Why Do You Love Me" about a little bear cub and it's momma. In one part of the book the bear sees other naughty bear cubs who have run away from their mothers b/c they didn't want to have the burrs combed out of their fur. One night when I was little I ran away from my mom after bathtime saying "I don't want you to comb the burrs out of my furs!!"

35. I was a Religious Studies major in college, and needed to choose a minor in order to have enough credits to graduate. I was really interested in psycholgy, but my campus was located on a huge hill. The Religious Studies building was at the very top of the hill, and the psychology building was at the very bottom...so I chose philosophy because it was on the same floor of the same building as Religious studies. No other reason. And I HATED philosophy by the end!

36. I got an "A" in my college Metaphysics and Epistemology class (required for the Philosophy degree)...but I never actually learned what either of those terms mean, and still could not define them for you!

37. I cry when I watch the Little Mermaid when she says bye to her daddy in the end.

38. My dad performed hubs' and my wedding ceremony, and we got married on my parent's front porch. It was lovely and so so sweet. (they have an old plantation-type house built in 1848)

39. We went on our honeymoon to Bar Harbor, Maine, and it was perfect!!

40. I became a Christian at a very young age and was baptized by my daddy. I remember that I wore my new sparkly bathing suit under the baptism robes and I thought that there would be sparkles in the water because of it.

41. I cannot sleep without hearing the sound of a fan. Hubs is the same, and one of the first conversations that we ever had was in English class our senior year--the power had gone off in the middle of the night and our fans had gone off so we both woke up so we were both really tired.

42. Before we started dating we had gone on a trip to Texas for a robot competition for our physics class. During the trip we played a game called "murder in the dark" and we were "secret partners" and anytime that I was supposed to be the "killer" I would squeeze his hand and he would do it instead. We both liked different people during the trip, but it was the start of our friendship.

43. After my sophomore year of college I went on a 6 week mission trip to Russia. We traveled all over and went to Perm, Ekaterinburg, Moscow, and some other city that I can't remember the name of...It was absolutely amazing though. I'm so thankful to have had that experience.

44. My parents are ministers with Campus Crusade for Christ--a college based ministry. Because of this I have been able to travel all over the country, spend summers in the mountains and on the beach, and meet some amazing people, all while learning more about God!

45. I discovered blogging last year through some Bible study girls and have quickly gotten hooked! I love having an outlet for my thoughts, a place to share my baking adventures and general experiences, and connecting and reconnecting with amazing people!

46. When I was little my mom always encouraged us to get in the kitchen. We had mini baking pans and she would let us experiment with recipes. The worst I think was the "coke cake". I know that some really good cake recipes include cola, but we did not do it right!!

47. I used to love getting my mom's kitchen utensils out and playing with the pots & pans and colanders and whisks...One time I was banging on the pots and she came in to tell me to stop b/c she had a headache. I replied with "But I'm making a joyful noise unto the Lord!!"(psalm 100:1) Now how could a mother say no to that??

48. I am extremely close to both my parents. Of course, I went through the rockey phases of adolescence (compounded by bad boyfriends) but now we have wonderful relationships. My dad and I have a special bond and get very emotional about one another (this can lead to lots of crying). My mom and I are less emotional but are wonderful friends. We are so similar--if you go to both of our houses you will see a lot of the same dishes and furniture, our walls are the same colors...it's really funny! I think I'm a good mix of both of them.

49. A few years ago I caught mono and then developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia. It caused me to change a lot of my habits and has definitely been hard, but I have learned the joy of resting!!

50. The most important thing to me is glorifying God through my relationships with other people. Whether that means being a good wife and (eventually) mother, a friend to listen and encourage, a leader, or a follower, I strive for that above all.