Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Monthly Video Update!
Matt and I have been doing monthly videos ever since Gracie was born w/ updates not only about her but about whats going on w/ us and the church. We thought that we would start uploading them on the internet just in case anyone else would like to hear as well. So here's a link to our church blog w/ the video. Enjoy:) (Next time I'll try not to be so cheesy... no promises though!)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Gracie- 2 Months!
Well, Gracie turned 2 months old yesterday! It really is hard to believe that she has been w/ us for 2 whole months already! I got to weigh her on Tuesday and she is up to 11 pounds and 3 ounces! That's almost exactly 3 pounds bigger than she was when she was born!
In other news.. Matt and I made a big decision. We had been praying for some time about my work situation. I was scheduled to go back November 23rd but this past Monday I turned in my resignation. We aren't exactly sure what the Lord has in mind but after weeks and weeks of praying, neither Matt nor I had a peace about me going back to work. Matt has been looking for another job to work in addition to the church. Matt finding a job has been at the top of our prayer list, although Matt and I were both convicted on the same day this week that God's plan for our family might not include another job.. so instead we just keep praying that God will provide for our needs. So I guess we will just see what happens...
Here's a couple pics of our little sweetie: (If you can't tell Gracie was a lady bug for Halloween!)
In other news.. Matt and I made a big decision. We had been praying for some time about my work situation. I was scheduled to go back November 23rd but this past Monday I turned in my resignation. We aren't exactly sure what the Lord has in mind but after weeks and weeks of praying, neither Matt nor I had a peace about me going back to work. Matt has been looking for another job to work in addition to the church. Matt finding a job has been at the top of our prayer list, although Matt and I were both convicted on the same day this week that God's plan for our family might not include another job.. so instead we just keep praying that God will provide for our needs. So I guess we will just see what happens...
Here's a couple pics of our little sweetie: (If you can't tell Gracie was a lady bug for Halloween!)
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Gracie- the past 7 weeks...
I can't believe that I haven't posted on here since September 7th! Gracie was only 3 days old at the time and on Friday she just turned 7 weeks old! The past 7 weeks have literally flown by as we are getting to know our little girl and how to better care for her. She is such a joy. (I say this as she is screaming at her dad! ) Real fast I'll just try and share some of the "highlights"...
She is getting so much more social. A couple weeks ago she started smiling a whole lot and making all sorts of adorable sounds and "coos". I love how she will just stare right into our eyes.
She is literally growing like a weed. Her birth weight was 8'4.5 and when we took her to the doctor for her appointment this past Wednesday she was 10'10! She really likes to eat!
She had to get some shots at her last appointment and lets just say I think she took it better than I did:)
She still isn't sleeping through the night. She'll only go 3-4 hours before she wakes and wants to eat but then she'll go right back to sleep which is nice.
We took our first big road trip this month. We went to Wichita for the week and then on to Arkansas for a meeting w/ a church who is wanting to partner w/ us. She did so good and slept practically the whole time.
She LOVES to listen to her daddy play guitar. She will just lay and kick forever while the music plays:)
Her and Aldo (our dog) have become fast friends:) Aldo adores her and spends a lot of time by her side.
I could go on ( and on and on) about her but I suppose that's enough for now.. and more importantly here are a few pictures... they are all at least a couple weeks old.. I have newer ones that I still need to upload!
She is getting so much more social. A couple weeks ago she started smiling a whole lot and making all sorts of adorable sounds and "coos". I love how she will just stare right into our eyes.
She is literally growing like a weed. Her birth weight was 8'4.5 and when we took her to the doctor for her appointment this past Wednesday she was 10'10! She really likes to eat!
She had to get some shots at her last appointment and lets just say I think she took it better than I did:)
She still isn't sleeping through the night. She'll only go 3-4 hours before she wakes and wants to eat but then she'll go right back to sleep which is nice.
We took our first big road trip this month. We went to Wichita for the week and then on to Arkansas for a meeting w/ a church who is wanting to partner w/ us. She did so good and slept practically the whole time.
She LOVES to listen to her daddy play guitar. She will just lay and kick forever while the music plays:)
Her and Aldo (our dog) have become fast friends:) Aldo adores her and spends a lot of time by her side.
I could go on ( and on and on) about her but I suppose that's enough for now.. and more importantly here are a few pictures... they are all at least a couple weeks old.. I have newer ones that I still need to upload!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Gracie Irene
I'll post more pictures and details later.. but Gracie Irene was born September 4th at 6:45 AM. She weighed 8 lbs 4.5 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long.
We couldn't be more excited!
We couldn't be more excited!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
A few recipes...
This month I have also been trying to keep preoccupied by doing some baking. I tried a few new recipes and so far everything has turned out great!
I don't have any pics of the first couple.. but if you are looking to make some great strawberry scones you should definitely check out Katie's recipe on Good Things Catered. I made them to have for breakfast this week and they were very tasty!
I also tried a new homemade pizza dough recipe. We used it to make cal zones. We even made our own pizza sauce w/ homegrown tomatoes we had been given. Everything was soooo good!
The recipe for the pizza dough was from a great blog Annie's Eats, go here to see recipe.
Yesterday I also made very my very first pie from scratch! It really wasn't all that difficult. The crust came together so easily, I don't know why I always thought making my own pie crust would be so difficult! Here's the recipe that I used for the pie and crust, I went w/ peach.. Matt's request:)
Both recipes are from Katie's Blog at Good Things Catered.
Summer Sweet Peach Pie
Ingredients:
1 recipe basic pie dough
8 large, fresh ripe peaches
1/2 c. brown sugar
juice of 1/2 small lemon
1 tsp cornstarch
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 egg white
granulated sugar for sprinkling
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 425 degrees and prepare pie dish.
-Roll 1/2 recipe of pie dough out and line bottom of pie dish.
-Place in refrigerator.
-Using a pairing knife, slice peaches into 8 pieces, peel skins, and slice into thin slices.
-Place peach slices into large bowl, add brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and stir well to combine.
-Remove pie plate from fridge, brush bottom with egg white, and transfer peach mixture to pie.
-Roll out remaining dough and top as desired (lattice or traditional).
-Brush top with egg white, sprinkle with sugar for a crunch and place into oven.
-Bake for 20 minutes, then tent top with foil and reduce heat to 375 degrees.
-Continue baking until golden and juices are bubbling, about 30 more minutes (50-60 minutes total)
-Remove from oven and let pie cool completely on wire rack before serving.
Basic Pie Dough
America’s Test Kitchen
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 c. vegetable shortening, chilled
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cu into ¼ in pieces
6-8 Tbsp ice water
Directions:
-Process the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined.
-Add the shortening and process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 secs.
-Scatter the butter into the flour and cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse crumbs, with butter bits no larger than small peas, about ten 1-sec pulses.
-Turn the mixture into a medium bowl.
-Sprinkle 6 Tbsp of the ice water over the mixture.
-With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix.
-Press down on the dough sticks together, adding up to 2 Tbsp more ice water if the dough will not come together.
-Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4 in disks.
-Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to two days before rolling.
Well.. I guess that is all for now. I've made a few other things that I'll try and post recipes for later and currently I'm making homemade hamburger buns! We'll see how these turn out:) Matt and I are off to take a walk.. got to get this baby out!
I don't have any pics of the first couple.. but if you are looking to make some great strawberry scones you should definitely check out Katie's recipe on Good Things Catered. I made them to have for breakfast this week and they were very tasty!
I also tried a new homemade pizza dough recipe. We used it to make cal zones. We even made our own pizza sauce w/ homegrown tomatoes we had been given. Everything was soooo good!The recipe for the pizza dough was from a great blog Annie's Eats, go here to see recipe.
Yesterday I also made very my very first pie from scratch! It really wasn't all that difficult. The crust came together so easily, I don't know why I always thought making my own pie crust would be so difficult! Here's the recipe that I used for the pie and crust, I went w/ peach.. Matt's request:)Both recipes are from Katie's Blog at Good Things Catered.
Summer Sweet Peach Pie
Ingredients:
1 recipe basic pie dough
8 large, fresh ripe peaches
1/2 c. brown sugar
juice of 1/2 small lemon
1 tsp cornstarch
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 egg white
granulated sugar for sprinkling
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 425 degrees and prepare pie dish.
-Roll 1/2 recipe of pie dough out and line bottom of pie dish.
-Place in refrigerator.
-Using a pairing knife, slice peaches into 8 pieces, peel skins, and slice into thin slices.
-Place peach slices into large bowl, add brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and stir well to combine.
-Remove pie plate from fridge, brush bottom with egg white, and transfer peach mixture to pie.
-Roll out remaining dough and top as desired (lattice or traditional).
-Brush top with egg white, sprinkle with sugar for a crunch and place into oven.
-Bake for 20 minutes, then tent top with foil and reduce heat to 375 degrees.
-Continue baking until golden and juices are bubbling, about 30 more minutes (50-60 minutes total)
-Remove from oven and let pie cool completely on wire rack before serving.
Basic Pie Dough
America’s Test Kitchen
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 c. vegetable shortening, chilled
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cu into ¼ in pieces
6-8 Tbsp ice water
Directions:
-Process the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined.
-Add the shortening and process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 secs.
-Scatter the butter into the flour and cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse crumbs, with butter bits no larger than small peas, about ten 1-sec pulses.
-Turn the mixture into a medium bowl.
-Sprinkle 6 Tbsp of the ice water over the mixture.
-With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix.
-Press down on the dough sticks together, adding up to 2 Tbsp more ice water if the dough will not come together.
-Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4 in disks.
-Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to two days before rolling.
Well.. I guess that is all for now. I've made a few other things that I'll try and post recipes for later and currently I'm making homemade hamburger buns! We'll see how these turn out:) Matt and I are off to take a walk.. got to get this baby out!
Random pics
Just for fun...
This picture is from the end of May...
And this is me just yesterday (same shirt), about 3 days before my due date on Tuesday...
Crazy how HUGE I felt back in May!
I also wanted to say a late Happy Birthday to my husband on my blog. He turned 28 August 19th! He was very happy our little girl decided not to come that day. He's not quite ready to share:) He was also very excited about his ice cream cake:)
This picture is from the end of May...
And this is me just yesterday (same shirt), about 3 days before my due date on Tuesday...
Crazy how HUGE I felt back in May!
I also wanted to say a late Happy Birthday to my husband on my blog. He turned 28 August 19th! He was very happy our little girl decided not to come that day. He's not quite ready to share:) He was also very excited about his ice cream cake:)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
5 days til Due Date!
Well, we have pretty much come to the end of the pregnancy.. My due date is this coming Tuesday and we are "ready" for our little girl to be here.. as ready as we can be anyways! I still can't believe that Matt and I are about to be parents. Even typing that just now still seems so crazy and hard to believe..
Pregnancy hasn't really been all that bad. I've been blessed w/ being healthy minus some aches and some very swollen feet! The time truly does seem to have flown by. I can't believe it was all the way back in January that we found out we were expecting!
Matt has truly been wonderful this whole time, so encouraging, so supportive. I was blessed w/ him being able to attend all of my doctor appointments.. it has been a lot of fun growing together as our little one has been growing inside. I am so thankful for the last (almost!) 5 years that we have spent together as just husband and wife. I wouldn't trade that time for anything. I admit at times I am a little sad to see this part of our life end but I know that we are gaining so much more.
So, hopefully I will have pictures of our little girl to post here soon:) I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week!
Pregnancy hasn't really been all that bad. I've been blessed w/ being healthy minus some aches and some very swollen feet! The time truly does seem to have flown by. I can't believe it was all the way back in January that we found out we were expecting!
Matt has truly been wonderful this whole time, so encouraging, so supportive. I was blessed w/ him being able to attend all of my doctor appointments.. it has been a lot of fun growing together as our little one has been growing inside. I am so thankful for the last (almost!) 5 years that we have spent together as just husband and wife. I wouldn't trade that time for anything. I admit at times I am a little sad to see this part of our life end but I know that we are gaining so much more.
So, hopefully I will have pictures of our little girl to post here soon:) I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Maternity Pics!
Last week we had some maternity pictures done. It was a lot of fun and we really love how they came out! If you want to see some of them you can go here to look at our photographers blog where she put some up! I am 35 weeks in the pictures and as of tomorrow I'll be 36 weeks! CRAZY!
Hope everyones Monday is off to a great start!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
A little laugh and an update on Baby Girl Maestas:)
Well I've been having kind of a blah day and then my husband forwarded this to me.. and I must say I do feel a little better:)
So if you are a fan of the Office you should definitely give this a watch!
I don't know about you but I'm excited for September for some new TV:)
And I guess while I'm here I'll give a quick update on whats going on w/ us and our little one who is on her way:)
I'm 35 weeks pregnant.. I can't believe how fast time is going! I started my weekly doctors appointments this week. Currently, our baby girl is being a little stubborn and is still transverse (side-ways)which is not the position we would like her to be in! Our doctor is thinking that this might be the way she chooses to stay, especially since she has been in this position for so long. She thinks that there is maybe a reason the baby is staying there. We are praying that she moves but if not we are most likely headed towards a C-section. I go in to the doctor again on Monday and then we will schedule an ultra-sound for next week to get a look at what exactly is going on inside. Following that appointment we will probably schedule a tentative C-section for at least a week earlier than my due date. So.. that is what I know as of right now.. other than our baby's position she seems to be healthy and moves Constantly.. especially right up into my ribs! I'm still feeling well also, aside from being a little overwhelmed w/ everything that is going on!
So I guess that's all for now:) I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!
So if you are a fan of the Office you should definitely give this a watch!
I don't know about you but I'm excited for September for some new TV:)
And I guess while I'm here I'll give a quick update on whats going on w/ us and our little one who is on her way:)
I'm 35 weeks pregnant.. I can't believe how fast time is going! I started my weekly doctors appointments this week. Currently, our baby girl is being a little stubborn and is still transverse (side-ways)which is not the position we would like her to be in! Our doctor is thinking that this might be the way she chooses to stay, especially since she has been in this position for so long. She thinks that there is maybe a reason the baby is staying there. We are praying that she moves but if not we are most likely headed towards a C-section. I go in to the doctor again on Monday and then we will schedule an ultra-sound for next week to get a look at what exactly is going on inside. Following that appointment we will probably schedule a tentative C-section for at least a week earlier than my due date. So.. that is what I know as of right now.. other than our baby's position she seems to be healthy and moves Constantly.. especially right up into my ribs! I'm still feeling well also, aside from being a little overwhelmed w/ everything that is going on!
So I guess that's all for now:) I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!
Friday, July 10, 2009
A little cooking update!
Believe it or not I actually have still been cooking! I have taken a ton of pics of various new recipes that I have tried, but I just struggle w/ actually downloading them on the computer and than posting! Maybe some day.. maybe:)
This summer I got a fun new kitchen gadget.. a pasta roller and cutter! Matt and I have really been enjoying using it. It is EXTREMELY easy and the pasta tastes wonderful. I had never made homemade pasta before so it has really been a treat. Here are a few pics of us using it the first time. Our first attempt we just did a basic egg noodle recipe and for our second attempt we did whole wheat pasta.. both were delicious!
And for a quick recipe, this past Saturday for Fourth of July I made a key lime pie to take over to a party. It was sooo easy to make and tasted delicious! I must admit.. I did cheat and just bought a pre-made graham cracker crust:)
Key Lime Pie (recipe from Good Things Catered)
Ingredients:
10 honey graham crackers
2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp butter, melted
zest from ½ large lime
7 Tbsp freshly squeezed juice from key limes
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 9 inch pan.
-In bowl of food processor, pulse graham crackers and sugar until broken down into fine crumbs.
-Add melted butter and pulse until loosely combined.
-Remove bowl from processor and, using spatula, stir to combine butter well.
-Scrape graham mixture into pie pan and carefully press to evenly coat bottom and sides of pan.
-Place shell into oven and bake for 10 minutes.
-Remove from oven and set aside (keep oven on) (like I said I skipped these steps and just used a pre-made crust.. its up to you!)
-In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir until combined well (this will take a minute or two, make sure the mixture is even).
-Carefully pour mixture into pie shell and lightly tap to evenly distribute filling.
-Place carefully into oven and bake for 15 minutes or until set.
-Remove from oven and let cool.
-Once cooled, place into fridge for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight to set.
-Serve with whipped cream.
~Well I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm off work in about 30 minutes! Yay for Fridays!!
This summer I got a fun new kitchen gadget.. a pasta roller and cutter! Matt and I have really been enjoying using it. It is EXTREMELY easy and the pasta tastes wonderful. I had never made homemade pasta before so it has really been a treat. Here are a few pics of us using it the first time. Our first attempt we just did a basic egg noodle recipe and for our second attempt we did whole wheat pasta.. both were delicious!
And for a quick recipe, this past Saturday for Fourth of July I made a key lime pie to take over to a party. It was sooo easy to make and tasted delicious! I must admit.. I did cheat and just bought a pre-made graham cracker crust:)
Key Lime Pie (recipe from Good Things Catered)
Ingredients:
10 honey graham crackers
2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp butter, melted
zest from ½ large lime
7 Tbsp freshly squeezed juice from key limes
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 9 inch pan.
-In bowl of food processor, pulse graham crackers and sugar until broken down into fine crumbs.
-Add melted butter and pulse until loosely combined.
-Remove bowl from processor and, using spatula, stir to combine butter well.
-Scrape graham mixture into pie pan and carefully press to evenly coat bottom and sides of pan.
-Place shell into oven and bake for 10 minutes.
-Remove from oven and set aside (keep oven on) (like I said I skipped these steps and just used a pre-made crust.. its up to you!)
-In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir until combined well (this will take a minute or two, make sure the mixture is even).
-Carefully pour mixture into pie shell and lightly tap to evenly distribute filling.
-Place carefully into oven and bake for 15 minutes or until set.
-Remove from oven and let cool.
-Once cooled, place into fridge for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight to set.
-Serve with whipped cream.
~Well I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm off work in about 30 minutes! Yay for Fridays!!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Another update...
I thought I would pop in and fill those of you in who are interested on what is going on w/ Matt and I.
A few weeks ago, Matt officially graduated from Seminary! We were so excited and I am so proud of him. The whole reason we moved to Kansas City (which will be 4 years ago in August!) was for him to get his degree and now he is finished! It was a great day/ week as Matt's mom made the trip from Wyoming to be here for the occasion. We even had a little celebration at our house that evening w/ some friends and family.
I made these cupcakes for the party.. aren't they cute?!:)
I have a lot more pics from the month of May that hopefully I will actually put up on my blog. I'm not doing so great lately actually getting the pics downloaded from my camera to my computer..
This past week has been kind of blah.. first Matt was sick and now I've had this nasty cold/cough that I can't seem to shake. It seems to be lingering on forever. I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm 28 weeks pregnant.. yes 28 WEEKS! It just sounds so far along! It seems crazy that we are getting so close! The only other negative thing to being sick is that yesterday was my birthday and I spent it pretty much miserable all day. BUT I have such a sweet husband:) .. rather than going out he made me one of my favorite meals ever- biscuits and gravy w/ bacon:) I don't think it has ever tasted SO good:) We are hoping to go out Friday and do a little more celebrating. (I have all of these birthday coupons from restaurants and I can't let them all go to waste!)
So I guess that is all for now.. Hope everyone is having a great week!
A few weeks ago, Matt officially graduated from Seminary! We were so excited and I am so proud of him. The whole reason we moved to Kansas City (which will be 4 years ago in August!) was for him to get his degree and now he is finished! It was a great day/ week as Matt's mom made the trip from Wyoming to be here for the occasion. We even had a little celebration at our house that evening w/ some friends and family.
I made these cupcakes for the party.. aren't they cute?!:)
I have a lot more pics from the month of May that hopefully I will actually put up on my blog. I'm not doing so great lately actually getting the pics downloaded from my camera to my computer..
This past week has been kind of blah.. first Matt was sick and now I've had this nasty cold/cough that I can't seem to shake. It seems to be lingering on forever. I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm 28 weeks pregnant.. yes 28 WEEKS! It just sounds so far along! It seems crazy that we are getting so close! The only other negative thing to being sick is that yesterday was my birthday and I spent it pretty much miserable all day. BUT I have such a sweet husband:) .. rather than going out he made me one of my favorite meals ever- biscuits and gravy w/ bacon:) I don't think it has ever tasted SO good:) We are hoping to go out Friday and do a little more celebrating. (I have all of these birthday coupons from restaurants and I can't let them all go to waste!)
So I guess that is all for now.. Hope everyone is having a great week!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Old Navy Flip Flops- $1!
Tomorrow only, Old Navy will be having their flip-flop sale.. solid color adult and kid flip-flops for just $1 each. I believe there is a limit of 5 per customer!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Time is flying...
Well another few weeks have slipped by without me blogging. I truly intend to be better at this but w/ a lot going on this has gotten put on the back burner unfortunately.
Here's a little update on us! I'm 24 weeks pregnant! Time (currently) is just clicking by! I have continued to be healthy for the most part and still having quite a bit of energy although I'm starting to get more and more restless at night, which I'm sure will only continue to get worse as the next few months go by! I love feeling the baby, she is moving around a lot lately and I can tell she is getting so much stronger! Such an amazing thing! We haven't really done a whole lot of "baby stuff" yet... I am just about done clearing out what will be her room. We did buy some paint (several weeks ago!) and are hoping to get the room painted sometime in the next few weeks. I have also started working on my registry list and we are hoping to actually go register by the end of the month! I gotta say.. trying to decide what to register for has been quite the job.. there is just so much out there!
In the meantime we have really been working on the rest of our house. It is really starting to feel like home:) This past weekend my mom was so wonderful.. she woke up early and left her house in the Wichita area at 5:30 in order to be in KC first thing Saturday morning to help us w/ yard work! She didn't have to but it was so great of her to come and help and its always nice to spend time w/ her.
Our yard when we moved in was quite overgrown and so we spent hours just raking and pulling weeds and filled up countless 55 gallon trash bags. After yard work Saturday and a full afternoon of cleaning on Sunday I was feeling pretty achy.. I guess that just comes w/ being around 6 months pregnant!
Sorry for the book.. now I'll move on to this week:)
Matt graduates this Saturday from Seminary! His mom will be in town Wednesday and we are really looking forward to spending time w/ her! It will be her first visit here since we have lived in KC!
My goals for this week:
daily quiet time
finish up laundry!
go through last little stack in baby's room so it will be officially CLEANED OUT! YAY!!!
grocery shop!
just to keep the house clean:) I worked hard yesterday!
workout/ exercise
continue w/ my healthy eating/ low salt diet:).. that really is a goal, so far so good:)
Meals:
Monday- leftovers at home before grocery shopping
Tuesday- either pasta or something on the grill.. I'll let Matt choose:) We also have our church group coming over Tuesday night for Bible Study so I will be prepping snacks for that.
Wednesday- pick up Matt's mom from the airport and go out to eat!
Thursday/Friday- not entirely sure what we will be going w/ Matt's mom in town. I plan on having the fixings for enchiladas and orange chicken.. But I also know we will be eating out some:)
Saturday- BBQ for Matt's Graduation!
I hope everyone is having a great May!
Here's a little update on us! I'm 24 weeks pregnant! Time (currently) is just clicking by! I have continued to be healthy for the most part and still having quite a bit of energy although I'm starting to get more and more restless at night, which I'm sure will only continue to get worse as the next few months go by! I love feeling the baby, she is moving around a lot lately and I can tell she is getting so much stronger! Such an amazing thing! We haven't really done a whole lot of "baby stuff" yet... I am just about done clearing out what will be her room. We did buy some paint (several weeks ago!) and are hoping to get the room painted sometime in the next few weeks. I have also started working on my registry list and we are hoping to actually go register by the end of the month! I gotta say.. trying to decide what to register for has been quite the job.. there is just so much out there!
In the meantime we have really been working on the rest of our house. It is really starting to feel like home:) This past weekend my mom was so wonderful.. she woke up early and left her house in the Wichita area at 5:30 in order to be in KC first thing Saturday morning to help us w/ yard work! She didn't have to but it was so great of her to come and help and its always nice to spend time w/ her.
Our yard when we moved in was quite overgrown and so we spent hours just raking and pulling weeds and filled up countless 55 gallon trash bags. After yard work Saturday and a full afternoon of cleaning on Sunday I was feeling pretty achy.. I guess that just comes w/ being around 6 months pregnant!
Sorry for the book.. now I'll move on to this week:)
Matt graduates this Saturday from Seminary! His mom will be in town Wednesday and we are really looking forward to spending time w/ her! It will be her first visit here since we have lived in KC!
My goals for this week:
daily quiet time
finish up laundry!
go through last little stack in baby's room so it will be officially CLEANED OUT! YAY!!!
grocery shop!
just to keep the house clean:) I worked hard yesterday!
workout/ exercise
continue w/ my healthy eating/ low salt diet:).. that really is a goal, so far so good:)
Meals:
Monday- leftovers at home before grocery shopping
Tuesday- either pasta or something on the grill.. I'll let Matt choose:) We also have our church group coming over Tuesday night for Bible Study so I will be prepping snacks for that.
Wednesday- pick up Matt's mom from the airport and go out to eat!
Thursday/Friday- not entirely sure what we will be going w/ Matt's mom in town. I plan on having the fixings for enchiladas and orange chicken.. But I also know we will be eating out some:)
Saturday- BBQ for Matt's Graduation!
I hope everyone is having a great May!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
We are officially half way!!
I'm 20 weeks today according to my due date! Time (so far) has really been moving pretty fast! We are getting more and more excited about our little girl:) I'm looking forward to this part of the pregnancy as we will start preparing and begin to get things ready for her.
Oh and people have been asking a lot about names.. yes we do have a couple in mind but I think that we are going to keep the name a secret until she gets here. Who knows, we might not even officially decide until she is in our arms:)
Oh and people have been asking a lot about names.. yes we do have a couple in mind but I think that we are going to keep the name a secret until she gets here. Who knows, we might not even officially decide until she is in our arms:)
Monday, April 13, 2009
Happy Monday!
I hope everyone had a great weekend/ Easter!
Now my plans for this week include:
Menu:
Monday- Chicken Pasta dish (Pioneer Woman Cooks recipe)w/ sauteed broccoli and garlic bread- We are having company tonight:) and something for dessert...
the rest of the week we'll be eating the following.. just not sure of the order:
-chicken, black bean and cilantro soup w/ cornbread
-tostadas w/ rice, chips and salsa
-lasagna (heated up from the freezer)w/ veggies and bread
and.. possibly grilling out one night? We'll have to watch the weather! I think its actually supposed to be a decent week here!
Goals:
daily quiet time
work out 3 times
laundry!
hang new pictures up in bedroom/bathroom
get ready for my dad coming up this weekend!
work on a couple church projects
What's everyone else making this week? I love to hear new ideas!
Now my plans for this week include:
Menu:
Monday- Chicken Pasta dish (Pioneer Woman Cooks recipe)w/ sauteed broccoli and garlic bread- We are having company tonight:) and something for dessert...
the rest of the week we'll be eating the following.. just not sure of the order:
-chicken, black bean and cilantro soup w/ cornbread
-tostadas w/ rice, chips and salsa
-lasagna (heated up from the freezer)w/ veggies and bread
and.. possibly grilling out one night? We'll have to watch the weather! I think its actually supposed to be a decent week here!
Goals:
daily quiet time
work out 3 times
laundry!
hang new pictures up in bedroom/bathroom
get ready for my dad coming up this weekend!
work on a couple church projects
What's everyone else making this week? I love to hear new ideas!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Honey Mustard Chicken
If you are looking for a very simple, but delicious recipe.. this is it. W/ only a couple ingredients and a couple steps you can't really beat it. The chicken was so good and juicy. As you can see, I just served it up w/ some brown rice and green beans but this could be paired w/ a lot of other things as well...Honey Mustard Chicken (recipe from Holly Furtick's Blog)
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/3 c melted butter
1/3 c honey
2 tbsp mustard
1/4 tsp salt
Directions:
Mix butter, honey mustard and salt. Pour over chicken. Bake at 350 for about an hour.
Enjoy!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
It's a Girl!!
We had our big ultrasound today and it was sooo much fun! I was a bit nervous, but that all went away when I saw our little one up on the screen. I couldn't believe how much you could make out and how developed *SHE* already is! She was moving all around, kicking and punching.. at one point you could even see her hands up over her eyes. Our tech did a great job explaining everything and letting us enjoy the moment.
She was measuring about a week ahead of what my due date currently is.. I don't know if that means my due date moves up or if we just wait it out.. but for now she is right on track to be here around September 1st! For those that are interested her heart was beating at 140 and she was weighing in at 9 oz :)
I must say as much fun as it was seeing her up on the screen I was having a slightly hard time concentrating as I had to go to the bathroom sooo bad and the tech kept moving that wand up and down all over my belly! Lately I have had to go to the bathroom all the time and the tech pointed out that currently she is making a nice pillow out of my bladder!
After we found out we had to do some grocery shopping but decided to make a stop in the baby section first to make our first baby purchase. Matt picked out this cute little outfit. He was so excited about it.. He kept calling all sorts of people to share our news w/ them:)
Well and if you are interested in this sort of thing here are the first official pics of Baby Girl Maestas.
She was measuring about a week ahead of what my due date currently is.. I don't know if that means my due date moves up or if we just wait it out.. but for now she is right on track to be here around September 1st! For those that are interested her heart was beating at 140 and she was weighing in at 9 oz :)
I must say as much fun as it was seeing her up on the screen I was having a slightly hard time concentrating as I had to go to the bathroom sooo bad and the tech kept moving that wand up and down all over my belly! Lately I have had to go to the bathroom all the time and the tech pointed out that currently she is making a nice pillow out of my bladder!
After we found out we had to do some grocery shopping but decided to make a stop in the baby section first to make our first baby purchase. Matt picked out this cute little outfit. He was so excited about it.. He kept calling all sorts of people to share our news w/ them:)
Well and if you are interested in this sort of thing here are the first official pics of Baby Girl Maestas.
Royals Manager shares Faith in KC article
Matt and I love going to the Royals games and are highly anticipating the start of their new season (First home game next Friday!). This past Sunday there was a newspaper article in the Kansas City Star on Trey Hillman, the Royals manager, on his faith. It was a great article and so if you are interested and haven't had a chance to read it go here.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Our New House!
Finally I am getting around to posting some pictures of our new house! These pics were taken before we even moved in, hence the no furniture.. and I'm only going to post a few pics, not one from every room.. yet anyways:) As we continue to complete projects and decorate I'll add more pics!
Just if your are curious our house has 3 bedrooms 2 1/4 bath (master bath only has a toilet and sink..). The house came w/ brand new carpet and they had just repainted all of the walls. We are looking forward to painting some of the rooms but it was nice that it wasn't an immediate need.
Our first big project we are planning on completing is repainting the house. I won't actually be doing any of the painting, Matt will get to head up that project along w/ some other guys:) We aren't quite sure on color yet. The blue doesn't really bother us.. it just really needs a new paint job. So we will begin looking at colors probably pretty soon!
We also are excited about doing some yard work! It has been kind of fun watching to see what kind of flowers are popping up!
In this picture is the fridge that came w/ the house... we opted to get a new fridge as this one was pretty gross and small.. We love our new fridge! It even has the ice and water in the side door. You don't know how excited that made me! OH and notice that we have a dishwasher again! :)
Our house is a split level and this is a picture from the bottom portion. It has a little family room w/ a built in entertainment center in the wall. There is also a finished full bath downstairs as well as our laundry room and storage.
This picture is one of the things that sold Matt on the house. One of the three bedrooms had built in floor to ceiling bookshelves across one wall. You wouldn't believe how fast he got his books up on those shelves!
This is a picture from our upstairs living room. We love the little window seat:) Currently this room still has no furniture in it.. but we do have plans to pick up some in Wichita hopefully w/in the next month. We love all the natural light that pours into this room/kitchen!
And finally this is a picture of part of our deck. Right off the kitchen there is a door that goes outside to our fenced in backyard. We love how big the deck is and can't wait to host a BBQ!
Just if your are curious our house has 3 bedrooms 2 1/4 bath (master bath only has a toilet and sink..). The house came w/ brand new carpet and they had just repainted all of the walls. We are looking forward to painting some of the rooms but it was nice that it wasn't an immediate need.
Our first big project we are planning on completing is repainting the house. I won't actually be doing any of the painting, Matt will get to head up that project along w/ some other guys:) We aren't quite sure on color yet. The blue doesn't really bother us.. it just really needs a new paint job. So we will begin looking at colors probably pretty soon!
We also are excited about doing some yard work! It has been kind of fun watching to see what kind of flowers are popping up!
In this picture is the fridge that came w/ the house... we opted to get a new fridge as this one was pretty gross and small.. We love our new fridge! It even has the ice and water in the side door. You don't know how excited that made me! OH and notice that we have a dishwasher again! :)
Our house is a split level and this is a picture from the bottom portion. It has a little family room w/ a built in entertainment center in the wall. There is also a finished full bath downstairs as well as our laundry room and storage.
This picture is one of the things that sold Matt on the house. One of the three bedrooms had built in floor to ceiling bookshelves across one wall. You wouldn't believe how fast he got his books up on those shelves!
This is a picture from our upstairs living room. We love the little window seat:) Currently this room still has no furniture in it.. but we do have plans to pick up some in Wichita hopefully w/in the next month. We love all the natural light that pours into this room/kitchen!
And finally this is a picture of part of our deck. Right off the kitchen there is a door that goes outside to our fenced in backyard. We love how big the deck is and can't wait to host a BBQ!
Monday, March 30, 2009
It's almost April!
Here's my rundown for the week!
Goals:
Quiet Time
Work Out at least 3 times
menu plan for next two weeks and organize coupons
continue getting settled in our house!
Menu:
Tonight we are having company and so I'm making:
BBQed Meatballs, mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, cornbread muffins and cherry cobbler w/ ice cream for dessert!
(the cherries are from when we picked cherries last summer that I froze! Can't wait to enjoy some tonight!)
Tuesday- Tacos, rice and beans
Wednesday- Teriyaki chicken stir fry w/ peppers, onion, maybe some pineapple over rice
Thursday- I'm thinking a homemade pizza.. well semi-homemade, I have a crust mix to use!
Friday- OUT!
....Thursday is our ULTRASOUND! I'm very excited but sort of nervous at the same time. We can't wait!
Goals:
Quiet Time
Work Out at least 3 times
menu plan for next two weeks and organize coupons
continue getting settled in our house!
Menu:
Tonight we are having company and so I'm making:
BBQed Meatballs, mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, cornbread muffins and cherry cobbler w/ ice cream for dessert!
(the cherries are from when we picked cherries last summer that I froze! Can't wait to enjoy some tonight!)
Tuesday- Tacos, rice and beans
Wednesday- Teriyaki chicken stir fry w/ peppers, onion, maybe some pineapple over rice
Thursday- I'm thinking a homemade pizza.. well semi-homemade, I have a crust mix to use!
Friday- OUT!
....Thursday is our ULTRASOUND! I'm very excited but sort of nervous at the same time. We can't wait!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Homemade Oreos.. YUM!
Well.. since it has been FOREVER since I have posted a recipe I thought I would take advantage of this snowy day and finally post a new one. These cookies are great. I have made them a couple times now and they are easy as can be...
Homemade Oreos
I found this recipe on Macaroni and Cheesecake, her original Source was Retro Desserts, Wayne Brachman
Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies
Ingredients:
For the chocolate wafers:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg
For the filling:
¼ cup (½ stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
¼ cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
***This is the original filling. I never have shortening so I have just used the follow ingredients to make the filling.. except sometimes I even half it.
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp. milk
Directions:
1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375 degrees.
2. In a Mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. On low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2-3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.
ENJOY!!!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Well, what a week...
We are in our new house and it is WONDERFUL!! This week has been a lot of unpacking and arranging and we have actually gotten a lot done! We do have one room (the baby-to-be's) room that has become a dropping place for things I'm just not quite sure where to put yet... but other than that we are pretty settled. Now my house does look a little empty, more space means you need more stuff apparently:) SO w/ time we will hopefully work on fixing that. I will post pictures sometime. I have taken some just need to upload them. I'm very behind in posting pictures just in general!
We had our March appointment yesterday. Nothing really all that new occured. We got to hear the heartbeat again. It was harder to hear this time.. we could hear it briefly off and on but our doctor said that the baby must be moving around quite a bit.. she was having a hard time following it! (For those interested the heartbeat was in the 140's) According to my book the baby should be measuring around 4-5 inches and my doctor said sometime in the next few weeks I should start to feel some movement! We also got to schedule our Big Ultrasound! It will be three weeks from yesterday, April 2nd! Time has really been going pretty fast w/ all that has been going on. I can't believe in three short weeks we will know what we are having! This will also be our first ultrasound so I can't wait to see our little one. I'm adjusting more to the idea that I'm going to have a baby but it still doesn't feel completely real yet. I keep hearing that once my stomach starts growing and I start feeling the baby it will really start to set in.
Even though I haven't posted recipes in FOREVER.. I actually have been cooking! I even used a couple new recipes this week so I will also try and update my blog w/ those.
I hope everyone has a great weekend!
We had our March appointment yesterday. Nothing really all that new occured. We got to hear the heartbeat again. It was harder to hear this time.. we could hear it briefly off and on but our doctor said that the baby must be moving around quite a bit.. she was having a hard time following it! (For those interested the heartbeat was in the 140's) According to my book the baby should be measuring around 4-5 inches and my doctor said sometime in the next few weeks I should start to feel some movement! We also got to schedule our Big Ultrasound! It will be three weeks from yesterday, April 2nd! Time has really been going pretty fast w/ all that has been going on. I can't believe in three short weeks we will know what we are having! This will also be our first ultrasound so I can't wait to see our little one. I'm adjusting more to the idea that I'm going to have a baby but it still doesn't feel completely real yet. I keep hearing that once my stomach starts growing and I start feeling the baby it will really start to set in.
Even though I haven't posted recipes in FOREVER.. I actually have been cooking! I even used a couple new recipes this week so I will also try and update my blog w/ those.
I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Happy Monday!
This past week is kind of a blur. Matt and I flew out of Kansas City last Friday to attend a conference in Atlanta. The conference was actually Monday and Tuesday but we went up early and spent time w/ our friends who live in the area. We got home Wednesday evening about 10 pm. So needless to say, Thursday and Friday at work were a little rough for me:)
We attended a church planting conference. We had gone last year and really enjoyed it. This year was just as good. We came back once again invigorated, encouraged and ready to once again focus on the church. This past Sunday Matt talked about a new "challenge" for us to set aside 30 minutes on Wednesday evening to pray w/ your family for our church. (P.U.S.H.- Pray until something happens) We are then going to gather together the Wednesday before Easter and pray all together. We are hoping to do this prayer meeting together at least once a quarter. We will see where this takes us. We are really excited about what the Lord is doing and will continue to do in our church. I'll try and post more often on what is happening in the life of our church.
Also, this past week we got the keys to our new house early so that we could go over and clean! My mom was a lifesaver this weekend as she drove up to help us out. She is even coming back next weekend to help us move and to help me get things set up. I love my mom:) So now this weekend will just be finishing up packing and getting our rental house in order to turn in the keys. I am sooo looking forward to NEXT Monday when we should be somewhat settled into our new house! I'll post pictures soon!
And finally.. not much to report on the pregnancy end.. other than another couple weeks have past. I'm 14 weeks along and I have my next doctors appointment next week. I really cant' wait for my April appointment.. we will find out if its a boy or a girl! I'm feeling so much better lately. My stomach is still a little upset when I first wake up in the morning but I am thinking that might just be from my vitamins. I have so much more energy than I did even just a few weeks ago. All my clothes still fit fine.. although I do have a little more curvature along my stomach:) Maybe in a few weeks I'll actually have something worth posting a picture of!
So.. after all of that catch up.. here's our plan for the week!
Menu:
Monday- Pulled pork sandwiches, mac and cheese and probably a veggie.
Tuesday- probably leftovers
Wednesday- chicken tacos w/ rice
Thursday- I honestly don't know. I didn't really buy much this week as far as groceries go. I just wanted to focus on eating what we already had in the fridge so we had less to move. One of these evenings we will be closing on our house. Whichever night that is we will probably grab something out.
Friday- night before we move- I doubt I'll be cooking:)
Goals:
finish packing!
clean rental!
get everything switched over to new house!
We attended a church planting conference. We had gone last year and really enjoyed it. This year was just as good. We came back once again invigorated, encouraged and ready to once again focus on the church. This past Sunday Matt talked about a new "challenge" for us to set aside 30 minutes on Wednesday evening to pray w/ your family for our church. (P.U.S.H.- Pray until something happens) We are then going to gather together the Wednesday before Easter and pray all together. We are hoping to do this prayer meeting together at least once a quarter. We will see where this takes us. We are really excited about what the Lord is doing and will continue to do in our church. I'll try and post more often on what is happening in the life of our church.
Also, this past week we got the keys to our new house early so that we could go over and clean! My mom was a lifesaver this weekend as she drove up to help us out. She is even coming back next weekend to help us move and to help me get things set up. I love my mom:) So now this weekend will just be finishing up packing and getting our rental house in order to turn in the keys. I am sooo looking forward to NEXT Monday when we should be somewhat settled into our new house! I'll post pictures soon!
And finally.. not much to report on the pregnancy end.. other than another couple weeks have past. I'm 14 weeks along and I have my next doctors appointment next week. I really cant' wait for my April appointment.. we will find out if its a boy or a girl! I'm feeling so much better lately. My stomach is still a little upset when I first wake up in the morning but I am thinking that might just be from my vitamins. I have so much more energy than I did even just a few weeks ago. All my clothes still fit fine.. although I do have a little more curvature along my stomach:) Maybe in a few weeks I'll actually have something worth posting a picture of!
So.. after all of that catch up.. here's our plan for the week!
Menu:
Monday- Pulled pork sandwiches, mac and cheese and probably a veggie.
Tuesday- probably leftovers
Wednesday- chicken tacos w/ rice
Thursday- I honestly don't know. I didn't really buy much this week as far as groceries go. I just wanted to focus on eating what we already had in the fridge so we had less to move. One of these evenings we will be closing on our house. Whichever night that is we will probably grab something out.
Friday- night before we move- I doubt I'll be cooking:)
Goals:
finish packing!
clean rental!
get everything switched over to new house!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
September 1st
September 1st is a big day for Matt and I. It is the due date for our first baby!
I honestly still can't believe it. It is crazy to even type!
About six weeks ago I just wasn't feeling well. I was sooo tired and figured I must be coming down w/ something. After a few days of constant exhaustion I decided that maybe I should just take a test. I was a few weeks "late", but I just thought w/ Christmas and everything else maybe my body was just a little off. I bought the test but assured Matt, "I'm not pregnant.. can't be!"
The next morning... well everything changed:)
Matt had gone to take our dog for a walk.. I took the test. Big Fat Positive.. I think i was shaking. I had always imagined all these neat ways that I'd tell Matt I was pregnant, none of that happened as I could barely hold it in the second he walked in the door. I think he was in a coma for about 4 days:)
The next day we went to the doctor and confirmed and since then it has been quite the ride!
I have had a couple appointments now w/ my OB and just this past Thursday we got to hear the heartbeat. It was such an amazing thing and our baby's heart was beating strong at 150 bpm.
I have been feeling okay. I haven't been getting sick, which I am very thankful for! Just tired, headaches (which I never had before), heartburn.. pretty bad heartburn (which I had also never had before), feeling as if I am constantly going to the bathroom.. (I can only imagine when I get further along!) and a mix between nausea and EXTREMELY hungry. I have never had such an appetite!
We do plan on finding out if its a boy or a girl.. Matt can hardly wait until the beginning of April. He didn't know you had to wait so long:)
Speaking of Matt.. he has been incredible and did finally come out of his coma:) He is so excited to be a dad.
So.. as of today I am 12 weeks along...
I can't wait for September... :)
I honestly still can't believe it. It is crazy to even type!
About six weeks ago I just wasn't feeling well. I was sooo tired and figured I must be coming down w/ something. After a few days of constant exhaustion I decided that maybe I should just take a test. I was a few weeks "late", but I just thought w/ Christmas and everything else maybe my body was just a little off. I bought the test but assured Matt, "I'm not pregnant.. can't be!"
The next morning... well everything changed:)
Matt had gone to take our dog for a walk.. I took the test. Big Fat Positive.. I think i was shaking. I had always imagined all these neat ways that I'd tell Matt I was pregnant, none of that happened as I could barely hold it in the second he walked in the door. I think he was in a coma for about 4 days:)
The next day we went to the doctor and confirmed and since then it has been quite the ride!
I have had a couple appointments now w/ my OB and just this past Thursday we got to hear the heartbeat. It was such an amazing thing and our baby's heart was beating strong at 150 bpm.
I have been feeling okay. I haven't been getting sick, which I am very thankful for! Just tired, headaches (which I never had before), heartburn.. pretty bad heartburn (which I had also never had before), feeling as if I am constantly going to the bathroom.. (I can only imagine when I get further along!) and a mix between nausea and EXTREMELY hungry. I have never had such an appetite!
We do plan on finding out if its a boy or a girl.. Matt can hardly wait until the beginning of April. He didn't know you had to wait so long:)
Speaking of Matt.. he has been incredible and did finally come out of his coma:) He is so excited to be a dad.
So.. as of today I am 12 weeks along...
I can't wait for September... :)
Weekly Menu/Goals
I hope everyone had a great V-Day/ weekend... Matt and I sure did! For Valentine's this year we just had a really nice day together. We went and ate breakfast out, spent some time at Borders, ran a few errands and then ending our day w/ pizza and a movie at home.. oh and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert:)
This is our plan for the rest of the week:
Menu:
Sunday- We had beef enchiladas!
Monday- A couple invited us out to dinner w/ them
Tuesday- Honey Mustard Chicken (new recipe!) w/ brown rice and a veggie
Wednesday- Chili w/ cornbread
Thursday- Clean out the Fridge night!:)
We will be heading out of town on Friday so I thought that eating leftovers would be a good plan.
Goals:
- daily quiet time
-continue packing up house for our big move!
- make sure house is clean before leaving town
-pack for trip
- work out at least another 2 times
- mail my sister's BDay present!
This is our plan for the rest of the week:
Menu:
Sunday- We had beef enchiladas!
Monday- A couple invited us out to dinner w/ them
Tuesday- Honey Mustard Chicken (new recipe!) w/ brown rice and a veggie
Wednesday- Chili w/ cornbread
Thursday- Clean out the Fridge night!:)
We will be heading out of town on Friday so I thought that eating leftovers would be a good plan.
Goals:
- daily quiet time
-continue packing up house for our big move!
- make sure house is clean before leaving town
-pack for trip
- work out at least another 2 times
- mail my sister's BDay present!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Who has Spring Fever!?!
Yes.. it might be a little early but after several days w/ highs in the upper 60's/ low 70's I can't help it!
I soooo want to bust out the flip flops! (really need to paint my toe nails first though.. eek!)
The rest of the week is supposed to be much cooler here but I'm thinking positive.. its only a few weeks until March and March usually brings some much prettier days and day light savings time!
Whats the weather like where you are? Today in KC- Sunny w/ a high of 70!
Monday, February 9, 2009
A New Week/ Catch Up
I've been gone a little while.. sorry for that! I'm going to try and get back on track this week.
Oh and just a little update.. we are scheduled to close on our house February 26th. Matt and I started packing this past weekend. One positive thing about this being our 4th move in 4 years is that we are able to declutter! We have been going through our drawers, closets, desks.. you name it and getting rid of stuff! It really is a nice feeling:)
We also had the most incredible thing happen to us this past week.. I have posted this before but we had our dryer go completely out on us. We had been trying to figure out what to do but were just putting it off b/c we really didn't have the funds to go out and buy anything quite yet. We had started looking for another used dryer. Then, out of the blue, a couple from the town we live offered to buy us a brand new washer and dryer. I truly couldn't believe it and still can't. We told them that it wasn't necessary but they insisted. God has truly blessed us.
Another blessing as of late has been that Matt got an opportunity to start a part time job (2 days a week) working for someone we know that owns a glass business. They are busy right now and we're needing some extra hands. We are hoping to bulk up our savings a little bit with this extra opportunity.
We also started Community Groups with our church this past week. Matt and I hosted the first one at our house. We are really excited about this next venture and can't wait to see where it leads. We only have one group meeting right now but are really praying that within the next few months we will see growth and will start to multiply.
Matt and I are also attending a church planting conference in Atlanta coming up in a couple weeks. (I know.. we really couldn't pack enough into one month!) We attended last year and had a great time and learned so much. It was really neat to be able to meet and talk with others who are in same stage of planting a church as we are. We can't wait to go back!
As far as meals go this week I am going to try and be creative and use up what we have in our cabinets. We spent our grocery money on groceries.. but not really "meal" groceries.. More for various company that we have had over and different gatherings... So rather than go over our limit I'm searching the freezer. Here is what I'm thinking...
Menu:
Sunday night- we had breakfast for dinner. Matt made me an omelet... YUM!!
Monday- Well tonight we are probably cheating.. a local restaurant has $1 mini burgers on Monday nights which we love.. and seriously, you can't beat that!
Tuesday- Sweet and Sour Chicken ( I never have made this yet!) w/ brown rice and a veggie.. whatever we have in the freezer!
Wednesday- We have hamburgers and steaks in the freezer... so one of those. I would love to grill but its supposed to be a little chilly.. Our side dishes will probably be veggies from the freezer and whatever else I can come up w/.
Thursday- If we have enough tortillas I was thinking Chicken fajitas or chicken tacos.. we have red peppers, tomatoes, onion, cheese, salsa.. If not we might just eat the chicken over rice. We'll see:)
Friday- Hopefully by this point we will have hit up the store! I'm not sure what we will have.
Saturday- Valentine's Day! I'm still debating. I'm thinking that we will probably go out during the day and then be home in the evening. We'll either get something to go.. or I'll cook. I'll let Matt decide:)
Weekly Goals:
-daily quiet time
-Pack!
-keep up with house work
-plan menu for next two weeks/ cut and organize coupons
-work out 3-4 times this week
Oh and just a little update.. we are scheduled to close on our house February 26th. Matt and I started packing this past weekend. One positive thing about this being our 4th move in 4 years is that we are able to declutter! We have been going through our drawers, closets, desks.. you name it and getting rid of stuff! It really is a nice feeling:)
We also had the most incredible thing happen to us this past week.. I have posted this before but we had our dryer go completely out on us. We had been trying to figure out what to do but were just putting it off b/c we really didn't have the funds to go out and buy anything quite yet. We had started looking for another used dryer. Then, out of the blue, a couple from the town we live offered to buy us a brand new washer and dryer. I truly couldn't believe it and still can't. We told them that it wasn't necessary but they insisted. God has truly blessed us.
Another blessing as of late has been that Matt got an opportunity to start a part time job (2 days a week) working for someone we know that owns a glass business. They are busy right now and we're needing some extra hands. We are hoping to bulk up our savings a little bit with this extra opportunity.
We also started Community Groups with our church this past week. Matt and I hosted the first one at our house. We are really excited about this next venture and can't wait to see where it leads. We only have one group meeting right now but are really praying that within the next few months we will see growth and will start to multiply.
Matt and I are also attending a church planting conference in Atlanta coming up in a couple weeks. (I know.. we really couldn't pack enough into one month!) We attended last year and had a great time and learned so much. It was really neat to be able to meet and talk with others who are in same stage of planting a church as we are. We can't wait to go back!
As far as meals go this week I am going to try and be creative and use up what we have in our cabinets. We spent our grocery money on groceries.. but not really "meal" groceries.. More for various company that we have had over and different gatherings... So rather than go over our limit I'm searching the freezer. Here is what I'm thinking...
Menu:
Sunday night- we had breakfast for dinner. Matt made me an omelet... YUM!!
Monday- Well tonight we are probably cheating.. a local restaurant has $1 mini burgers on Monday nights which we love.. and seriously, you can't beat that!
Tuesday- Sweet and Sour Chicken ( I never have made this yet!) w/ brown rice and a veggie.. whatever we have in the freezer!
Wednesday- We have hamburgers and steaks in the freezer... so one of those. I would love to grill but its supposed to be a little chilly.. Our side dishes will probably be veggies from the freezer and whatever else I can come up w/.
Thursday- If we have enough tortillas I was thinking Chicken fajitas or chicken tacos.. we have red peppers, tomatoes, onion, cheese, salsa.. If not we might just eat the chicken over rice. We'll see:)
Friday- Hopefully by this point we will have hit up the store! I'm not sure what we will have.
Saturday- Valentine's Day! I'm still debating. I'm thinking that we will probably go out during the day and then be home in the evening. We'll either get something to go.. or I'll cook. I'll let Matt decide:)
Weekly Goals:
-daily quiet time
-Pack!
-keep up with house work
-plan menu for next two weeks/ cut and organize coupons
-work out 3-4 times this week
Monday, January 26, 2009
Weekly Menu/Goals and Update
Well, this past weekend was a pretty big one for Matt and I. Matt and I have been interested in purchasing a house and have been talking about it for quite some time. This past week we made an offer on a house and after a little "countering" they accepted! We will have an inspection done this week and if all goes well we should be closing at the end of February! We couldn't be more excited about finally being in our own home again!
Also, on Saturday Matt went to his last seminary class(at least for now as he says)! We moved to the KC area August 2005 for him to attend school, 3 1/2 years later he is finished! I couldn't be prouder of him! We went out and celebrated Saturday night at a restaurant in Kansas City, Yardhouse. Very, very good!
So now on w/ this week... it's cold here. I starting to get anxious for Spring, but seeing as how it is only January I'm trying to make the most of the cooler temps.
Here's what is on our menu this week:
Monday- I believe we are going out on a giftcard that we received at Christmas.. unless the weather gets bad.
Tuesday- Chicken Tortilla Soup w/ cornbread
Wednesday- Sweet and Sour Chicken, brown rice and broccoli (new recipe I'm anxious to try!)
Thursday- I don't know.. something w/ beef. Maybe burgers!
Friday/Saturday- My mom is visiting! I'm not sure what that will bring meal wise...
Goals for the week:
-daily quiet time
-house inspection completed
-begin gathering boxes for the move
-start organizing for the move- I don't want to move a bunch of "junk", so I'm hoping to clean out the clutter that doesn't need to join us at our new house!
-plan menu/cut coupons for next 2 weeks
- get house ready for mom to visit!
Also, on Saturday Matt went to his last seminary class(at least for now as he says)! We moved to the KC area August 2005 for him to attend school, 3 1/2 years later he is finished! I couldn't be prouder of him! We went out and celebrated Saturday night at a restaurant in Kansas City, Yardhouse. Very, very good!
So now on w/ this week... it's cold here. I starting to get anxious for Spring, but seeing as how it is only January I'm trying to make the most of the cooler temps.
Here's what is on our menu this week:
Monday- I believe we are going out on a giftcard that we received at Christmas.. unless the weather gets bad.
Tuesday- Chicken Tortilla Soup w/ cornbread
Wednesday- Sweet and Sour Chicken, brown rice and broccoli (new recipe I'm anxious to try!)
Thursday- I don't know.. something w/ beef. Maybe burgers!
Friday/Saturday- My mom is visiting! I'm not sure what that will bring meal wise...
Goals for the week:
-daily quiet time
-house inspection completed
-begin gathering boxes for the move
-start organizing for the move- I don't want to move a bunch of "junk", so I'm hoping to clean out the clutter that doesn't need to join us at our new house!
-plan menu/cut coupons for next 2 weeks
- get house ready for mom to visit!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
New week.. a day or so late:)
Hope your Tuesday is treating you well. It's a big day today...let's be praying for our new president and his family.
Weekly Menu:
Monday- we ended up grabbing wendy's.. wasn't really the plan, but we were out all day long. Gotta love the $1 menu!
Tuesday- Homemade Beef and Veggie Pizza w/ salad.. well sort of homemade, I'm using a crust mix tonight:( Oh well, it'll still be good!
Wednesday- Teriyaki Chicken, veggie and pineapple stirfry over brown rice
Thursday- Steak Fajitas w/ black beans, chips and salsa
Friday- not sure.. We usually eat something out on Fridays..
Goals for the week:
-Quiet time
-keep up w/ housework
-finish getting details together for lunch meeting after church on Sunday
-work out an additional 3 times, I already went once yesterday!
Well, that's all I can think of for now.. not bad to have an easy week:)
Weekly Menu:
Monday- we ended up grabbing wendy's.. wasn't really the plan, but we were out all day long. Gotta love the $1 menu!
Tuesday- Homemade Beef and Veggie Pizza w/ salad.. well sort of homemade, I'm using a crust mix tonight:( Oh well, it'll still be good!
Wednesday- Teriyaki Chicken, veggie and pineapple stirfry over brown rice
Thursday- Steak Fajitas w/ black beans, chips and salsa
Friday- not sure.. We usually eat something out on Fridays..
Goals for the week:
-Quiet time
-keep up w/ housework
-finish getting details together for lunch meeting after church on Sunday
-work out an additional 3 times, I already went once yesterday!
Well, that's all I can think of for now.. not bad to have an easy week:)
Chicken Spaghetti
If you haven't been over to the Pioneer Woman Cook's .. you must. Her website is great and the recipes are very easy to follow. One of the recipes that I have made over and over again is her Chicken Spaghetti...It's good ol' comfort food. Another bonus is this recipe is supposed to freeze really nice. I have never frozen it before but would like to try it out next time I make it.
(Oh and sorry my picture isn't great.. it really is good!)
Chicken Spaghetti
by the Pioneer Woman Cooks
(my own adjustments are added in parentheses)
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken works also)2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1- 4oz jar diced pimentos, drained
3 cups dry spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
2 cups reserved chicken broth from pot
1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1 additional cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
Directions:
Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. (I just use boneless chicken breasts, works just fine). Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine w/ remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar. ( I usually just use 2 cups total cheese and just make do)
Place mixture in casserole pan and top w/ remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover w/ foil. ( I have never cooked it the entire 45 minutes.. I usually just watch it)
I usually serve this w/ just a nice salad. YUM!!
Hummus
Matt and I love hummus. It is such a great snack...er.. meal:) So when I first came across a recipe online of how to make my own at home I couldn't wait to try. I have been making this same recipe for quite some time now but just had never blogged about it.. so I thought today was the day!
I was especially excited to make my hummus this past time since for Christmas my dad gave me a new food processor! We had been using a tiny one and while it did work.. it wasn't near as easy as w/ my new one! Here's the recipe.. so easy, fast and delicious!
Restaurant-Style Hummus
taken from Annie's Eats, original source: Cook’s Illustrated, May/June 2008.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. juice from 1-2 lemons
¼ cup water
6 tbsp. tahini, stirred well
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 (14 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about ½ tsp.)
½ tsp. table salt
¼ tsp. ground cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro or parsley
Directions:
Combine lemon juice and water in a small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together tahini and 2 tablespoons oil in second small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside 2 tablespoons chickpeas for garnish.
Process remaining chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula With machine running, add lemon juice-water mixture in steady stream through food tube. Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute. With machine running, add oil-tahini mixture in steady stream through food tube, continue to process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.
Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle reserved chickpeas and cilantro over surface, cover with plastic wrap and let stand until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.
** We like to serve w/ pita bread, naan and fresh veggies. I haven't made my own pita bread or naan yet but I have recipes that I can't wait to try out!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Confession: I'm an American Idol Junkie
I love American Idol.. I admit it. I have been watching since the Season Finale of Season 1. Last year was my favorite season by far. I drug my husband to the Power and Light district in KC when David Cook made his home town appearance ( got his autograph!) and back again to watch the finale with a whole bunch of other crazy AI fans. Matt and I were even on TV... it was about a 2 sec shot.. but if you Tivoed it.. and then put it in slow motion, you could SO see us! And yes, I even have a David Cook t-shirt..(but in my defense, it was only 5 dollars). My dad also took us to the AI tour and then we waited afterwards in a big ol' line and got even more autographs and pics. (Well I waited.. everyone else just kind of stood back lol)
I told you.. a complete junkie.
So here comes the next season and tonight they are airing the KC auditions. (No, I didn't go to the auditions) I'm excited to see the shots of the city... it's always fun to see familiar places on TV!
So here's to another season of AI.. anybody w/ me?
Oh, and just for fun.. I got this pic off of the American Idol website. Can you find us? (Yeah.. and Matt said he didn't have fun!:) )
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