Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Missed it
I was reading in Luke today, when Jesus is praying in the garden before he is arrested. My commentary pointed out something I never realized- when Jesus left the disciples to pray, he was still close enough that they could hear his prayer. And yet they disobeyed and fell asleep instead of praying themselves. It made me think, how cool would it have been to hear one of the most important conversations with God in the history of humanity?! I know Jesus told the disciples to watch and pray, but I feel like even if they had obeyed, they could have overheard some pretty important stuff! So what am I missing from God when I disobey?
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
dessert
i tried out two new dessert recipes (and one entree, too) this weekend that were mostly successes:
-key lime fudge: tasty and a fun twist, but VERY sweet. i doubled the amount of key lime juice, left out the zest, and sprinkled graham cracker crumbs on top. i'd like to try cutting back on the sugar, but i don't know how it would affect the texture and fudge-iness.
-peanut butter cookie dough brownies: i know. they are as ridiculously rich & decadent as they sound. i used a little extra peanut butter. i also used regular m&ms. my main complaint is there's a flour-y aftertaste, not sure how to get rid of it in a raw dough. also note that these are actually best cold.
-pecan chicken: a hit with all the potluck guests. i also marinated the chicken in buttermilk beforehand. i ran out of breading towards the end, and it got pretty goopy midway through the breading process, but those things are probably due to my lack of breading skill. i expected a crispy, fried chicken-y texture and didn't get it, maybe my expectations were just off. i also made a honey mustard dipping sauce (started with equal parts honey & dijon mustard, added a pinch of salt, and then adjusted the ratio until i was happy with it. i think i mostly just added honey). but i will say that the chicken itself was super moist, and the pecan flavor was really delicious. i'm annoyed that i bought a bag of pecans even though they weren't on sale because i needed them for the dish, but two days later discovered a sam's club-sized bag in my freezer that i missed when i checked. oh well.
emerson's been a pretty good eater lately, as long as she's allowed to roam free while she eats. hope she outgrows this phase soon, because i'm getting tired of finding mashed banana on my coffee table and graham cracker pieces on the dining room chairs!
-key lime fudge: tasty and a fun twist, but VERY sweet. i doubled the amount of key lime juice, left out the zest, and sprinkled graham cracker crumbs on top. i'd like to try cutting back on the sugar, but i don't know how it would affect the texture and fudge-iness.
-peanut butter cookie dough brownies: i know. they are as ridiculously rich & decadent as they sound. i used a little extra peanut butter. i also used regular m&ms. my main complaint is there's a flour-y aftertaste, not sure how to get rid of it in a raw dough. also note that these are actually best cold.
-pecan chicken: a hit with all the potluck guests. i also marinated the chicken in buttermilk beforehand. i ran out of breading towards the end, and it got pretty goopy midway through the breading process, but those things are probably due to my lack of breading skill. i expected a crispy, fried chicken-y texture and didn't get it, maybe my expectations were just off. i also made a honey mustard dipping sauce (started with equal parts honey & dijon mustard, added a pinch of salt, and then adjusted the ratio until i was happy with it. i think i mostly just added honey). but i will say that the chicken itself was super moist, and the pecan flavor was really delicious. i'm annoyed that i bought a bag of pecans even though they weren't on sale because i needed them for the dish, but two days later discovered a sam's club-sized bag in my freezer that i missed when i checked. oh well.
emerson's been a pretty good eater lately, as long as she's allowed to roam free while she eats. hope she outgrows this phase soon, because i'm getting tired of finding mashed banana on my coffee table and graham cracker pieces on the dining room chairs!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
a mess of a morning!
we had quite the morning this morning! emmy was up at 6:30 instead of her usual 8am, although she may have slept a little off and on between then because i nursed her a bit and then put her back in the crib. then at 10 we met up with some of our friends at great lakes crossing, a local outlet mall. we started in the play area, but emmy's been so shy lately that she didn't want to play, just cling to mommy. after about 30 minutes, the moms split up to walk around the mall and shop a bit. of course, most of us have toddlers who are in the stage where they hate being strapped in for any length of time, so shopping didn't last long. we went back to play some more until we were supposed to regroup for lunch at rainforest cafe at 11:30. i had originally thought i wouldn't do lunch there, because i thought they'd eat around noon and it's a 30 minute drive home and i didn't want to risk emmy falling asleep in the car on the way home, but since they were eating on the early side, i thought it would probably be ok. as i strapped emmy back into her stroller to walk to the restaurant, she started signing "milk." i had brought a cup for her, but it was really supposed to be for the drive home, to help her stay awake, so i tried in the meantime to ply her with cheerios. meltdown. so i got the milk out, and as i did, i noticed the little cup-sized cooler i keep it in was dripping a little. lately i've been having trouble with sippy cup lids not going on right and leaking a little, but this time it was EVERYWHERE, all over the basket of my stroller where i had stored it, and some on the bags i had in there too. out of about 6 oz, only 1 or so was left, but thankfully what was there was enough to satisfy em for the time being.
so half of our group gets to rainforest cafe, and there's no sign of everyone else, so we decide because of the cranky, impatient toddlers (who turn their mommies into cranky, impatient mommies) that we'll get a table together but just go ahead and order and get started without them. i tell the waitress this so she knows not to wait for them. she comes shortly after we get settled, and no one's ready to order, so she says she'll come back in a minute. "a minute" becomes several, and at some point the rest of the moms show up, so when she does come back, she prioritizes taking their drink orders, and bringing all their drinks, and then FINALLY comes to take everyone's orders, not just those of us who were there first. so then apparently there's the restaurant mentality of making sure everyone's food comes out at the same time, and what ends up happening is those of us who got there first wait OVER AN HOUR before food is even served. in my opinion, that's a long wait at an almost empty restaurant even for just an adult, but when you factor in 7 toddlers who hate to sit still and who are dangerously close to naptime, every minute counts! we all literally had to ask for our checks as soon as the food came because of the kids' moods! and by the time we did get our food, mine was even cold. rainforest cafe is grossly overpriced anyway, but between the nasty food and the poor service, it hurt a lot to hand over my credit card. i should have spoken to a manager while i was there, but i just needed to get emmy home at that point. thankfully she didn't fall asleep on the way home and is currently napping peacefully in her crib, so at least today isn't a total waste...but next time i will go with my gut when deciding if i should do something like lunch with the ladies!!
so half of our group gets to rainforest cafe, and there's no sign of everyone else, so we decide because of the cranky, impatient toddlers (who turn their mommies into cranky, impatient mommies) that we'll get a table together but just go ahead and order and get started without them. i tell the waitress this so she knows not to wait for them. she comes shortly after we get settled, and no one's ready to order, so she says she'll come back in a minute. "a minute" becomes several, and at some point the rest of the moms show up, so when she does come back, she prioritizes taking their drink orders, and bringing all their drinks, and then FINALLY comes to take everyone's orders, not just those of us who were there first. so then apparently there's the restaurant mentality of making sure everyone's food comes out at the same time, and what ends up happening is those of us who got there first wait OVER AN HOUR before food is even served. in my opinion, that's a long wait at an almost empty restaurant even for just an adult, but when you factor in 7 toddlers who hate to sit still and who are dangerously close to naptime, every minute counts! we all literally had to ask for our checks as soon as the food came because of the kids' moods! and by the time we did get our food, mine was even cold. rainforest cafe is grossly overpriced anyway, but between the nasty food and the poor service, it hurt a lot to hand over my credit card. i should have spoken to a manager while i was there, but i just needed to get emmy home at that point. thankfully she didn't fall asleep on the way home and is currently napping peacefully in her crib, so at least today isn't a total waste...but next time i will go with my gut when deciding if i should do something like lunch with the ladies!!
Friday, April 13, 2012
vacation!
after a 6 month ban on travel due to a toddler who refused to sleep while traveling (neither in the car nor once we arrived), we bit the bullet and tried again last weekend. thankfully, it was a success!
we went to chicago for a reception to celebrate our friend drew's recent nuptials. we planned everything out with some other friends, blair and melissa, so that we could get the most out of our travel. the four (well, 6 if you count the babies) of us stayed in a suites-style hotel in skokie, which is near our alma mater and lots of other activities we'd be interested in doing. we were gone 3 nights, and i found myself actually sad that the trip was ending rather than anxious to get home and back to normal! we borrowed an in-car dvd player for emmy for the drive, which was a HUGE help. of course, on a normal day i rarely even turn on tv for her, so to have it on for almost 6 hours killed a part of me, but as a parent i've learned sometimes you just have to do whatever it takes! miraculously, she also slept well in the hotel itself. i think it helped a ton for her to have her own room. she actually slept through the night all 3 nights, which she rarely even does at home! her naps were a little erratic because we were out doing stuff a lot of the time, and she got to bed a little late every night and was up early every morning, but even though she was tired, she didn't get too cranky either. we had a great time catching up with old friends, visiting campus and our old church (and getting to see our mentor couple for the first time in 5 years!), swimming in the hotel pool, and eating lots of yummy food! now, *hopefully,* our little anti-traveler has turned a corner and will be much better in the future!
we went to chicago for a reception to celebrate our friend drew's recent nuptials. we planned everything out with some other friends, blair and melissa, so that we could get the most out of our travel. the four (well, 6 if you count the babies) of us stayed in a suites-style hotel in skokie, which is near our alma mater and lots of other activities we'd be interested in doing. we were gone 3 nights, and i found myself actually sad that the trip was ending rather than anxious to get home and back to normal! we borrowed an in-car dvd player for emmy for the drive, which was a HUGE help. of course, on a normal day i rarely even turn on tv for her, so to have it on for almost 6 hours killed a part of me, but as a parent i've learned sometimes you just have to do whatever it takes! miraculously, she also slept well in the hotel itself. i think it helped a ton for her to have her own room. she actually slept through the night all 3 nights, which she rarely even does at home! her naps were a little erratic because we were out doing stuff a lot of the time, and she got to bed a little late every night and was up early every morning, but even though she was tired, she didn't get too cranky either. we had a great time catching up with old friends, visiting campus and our old church (and getting to see our mentor couple for the first time in 5 years!), swimming in the hotel pool, and eating lots of yummy food! now, *hopefully,* our little anti-traveler has turned a corner and will be much better in the future!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
weight check-in
i haven't posted one of these in a while, because i haven't had much to be proud of. for a while i kept getting really frustrated because i was doing what i thought was my best and still watching the scale go up a little or stay the same. then, after insight from a couple of wise women, my habits are starting to adjust a bit, and thankfully my last couple of weigh-ins have been better! i have lost 4 pounds in the last 2 weeks, and i don't remember where i was in the game when i last posted, but overall this puts me at 21 pounds above my ultimate, dream goal. but i'll get to that in a second.
what was the life-changing advice i was given? first of all, my beautiful sister lauren, whose discipline and determination i truly admire (and envy!) gave me a couple of exercise tips. instead of mostly using my elliptical, she recommended using that only for "recovery" days and instead focusing more on the routines available through the nike training club app. which stinks because those things kick my butt! definitely a harder workout than i'd been doing, but so worth the results! she also helped me see that there was indeed a fair amount that i was doing right in the exercise department, which means (ominous music here) i need to focus more on what i eat. my brain is still in pregnancy/nursing mode, where you're supposed to have a significantly higher amount of calories...which to my greedy tummy means "go wild!" but i really don't nurse emmy much anymore, so i probably don't need nearly as many calories as i'd been counting on. plus i'm a total sweets junkie and have gotten a little overindulgent there.
BUT, all that being said, the other wise advice i got was from my sweet best friend, michelle. we were talking about weight loss, and she said something to the effect of "yeah, i could lose another 10-15 pounds, but realistically i just don't have the time or energy to maintain that." that totally resonated with me- i would love to be able to work out 5-6 days a week, but realistically i have a toddler that still doesn't sleep through the night, and some mornings i just want to sleep any extra bit i can. i also used to do a 45-60 minute workout, but again, sleep has become a valuable asset, and i just can't afford to part with more than enough to get 30 minutes of exercise in. and as far as eating goes, yes, i need to be more careful about what i eat, but ultimately, i'd rather be a size or two bigger and still get to treat myself sometimes.
so my new goal, rather than a specific number on the scale (although, yes, that dream number would be nice to see) is finding a balance that allows me to enjoy my life, my food, and yes, my sleep, while also being healthy and in shape!
what was the life-changing advice i was given? first of all, my beautiful sister lauren, whose discipline and determination i truly admire (and envy!) gave me a couple of exercise tips. instead of mostly using my elliptical, she recommended using that only for "recovery" days and instead focusing more on the routines available through the nike training club app. which stinks because those things kick my butt! definitely a harder workout than i'd been doing, but so worth the results! she also helped me see that there was indeed a fair amount that i was doing right in the exercise department, which means (ominous music here) i need to focus more on what i eat. my brain is still in pregnancy/nursing mode, where you're supposed to have a significantly higher amount of calories...which to my greedy tummy means "go wild!" but i really don't nurse emmy much anymore, so i probably don't need nearly as many calories as i'd been counting on. plus i'm a total sweets junkie and have gotten a little overindulgent there.
BUT, all that being said, the other wise advice i got was from my sweet best friend, michelle. we were talking about weight loss, and she said something to the effect of "yeah, i could lose another 10-15 pounds, but realistically i just don't have the time or energy to maintain that." that totally resonated with me- i would love to be able to work out 5-6 days a week, but realistically i have a toddler that still doesn't sleep through the night, and some mornings i just want to sleep any extra bit i can. i also used to do a 45-60 minute workout, but again, sleep has become a valuable asset, and i just can't afford to part with more than enough to get 30 minutes of exercise in. and as far as eating goes, yes, i need to be more careful about what i eat, but ultimately, i'd rather be a size or two bigger and still get to treat myself sometimes.
so my new goal, rather than a specific number on the scale (although, yes, that dream number would be nice to see) is finding a balance that allows me to enjoy my life, my food, and yes, my sleep, while also being healthy and in shape!
Friday, March 16, 2012
(mostly) debt free!!
this week, the last bit of cody's student loans got paid off, leaving us (other than our mortgage) DEBT FREE!! woohoo! we're so thankful for God's provision in our lives, including his pointing us to our church's Financial Freedom class a year ago, which has helped us get things on track. now that that's done, we'd like to be able to snowball into our mortgage and make those numbers go down faster, but for now we need the funds to pay for cody's school again! the loans we just paid off were from his undergrad, and he has since gone back for his master's. we haven't had to take any more loans out for that, and luckily his company pays for about half, plus 2 of the 4 years he was given scholarship money, but now we still have quite a chunk to pay for. but once that's done, we'll continue to work toward not owing anything to anyone (except our lives to Christ, of course!)
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
answer your phone
PSA: if your wife has good reason to be worried about you, answer your cell phone!
tonight cody went to panera to work on a school project and ended up locking the keys in the company car (and discovering it after panera had already closed). he called to tell me, and then said the roadside assistance person texted him an eta of 10 minutes...and 50 minutes later, i still hadn't heard anything. granted, i'm a worrier by nature, but we live literally about 3 minutes from panera, so even if the guy was a little late and they had trouble opening the car, i should have heard SOMETHING. i called cody, voicemail answered. i texted him, no response. texted him to please respond because i was really starting to worry...still no response. so then i proceeded to call him over and over until he finally answered on the 4th or 5th try. he didn't want to answer because they guy was talking to him! i think a worried wife is a forgiveable reason to be rude & interrupt! i was literally minutes from calling the police, picturing him mugged or beaten or something!
now, to be fair, here's his side: apparently the eta text they sent actually said it would be 10-something pm, which was an hour from when he called, not 10 minutes. he just misspoke that part, so he didn't fully realize why i would be so worried. then, as the guy was arriving, cody got multiple calls from a random number that turned out to be the service letting him know help was arriving...so when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket from my calls & texts, he just assumed it was more from them.
the lesson here, folks, is to always at least look to see who's calling you!
(cody, i love you very much, and i can't imagine how awful it would be if something happened to you. that's why i'm giving you so much grief about the whole thing, not because i'm mean!)
tonight cody went to panera to work on a school project and ended up locking the keys in the company car (and discovering it after panera had already closed). he called to tell me, and then said the roadside assistance person texted him an eta of 10 minutes...and 50 minutes later, i still hadn't heard anything. granted, i'm a worrier by nature, but we live literally about 3 minutes from panera, so even if the guy was a little late and they had trouble opening the car, i should have heard SOMETHING. i called cody, voicemail answered. i texted him, no response. texted him to please respond because i was really starting to worry...still no response. so then i proceeded to call him over and over until he finally answered on the 4th or 5th try. he didn't want to answer because they guy was talking to him! i think a worried wife is a forgiveable reason to be rude & interrupt! i was literally minutes from calling the police, picturing him mugged or beaten or something!
now, to be fair, here's his side: apparently the eta text they sent actually said it would be 10-something pm, which was an hour from when he called, not 10 minutes. he just misspoke that part, so he didn't fully realize why i would be so worried. then, as the guy was arriving, cody got multiple calls from a random number that turned out to be the service letting him know help was arriving...so when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket from my calls & texts, he just assumed it was more from them.
the lesson here, folks, is to always at least look to see who's calling you!
(cody, i love you very much, and i can't imagine how awful it would be if something happened to you. that's why i'm giving you so much grief about the whole thing, not because i'm mean!)
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