Snow...snow...snow...snow!

It started snowing again last night and it's still snowing!

How much snow all depends on where you measure...this was in the yard.

Max likes to eat the snow. =)

White Christmas...ahh the classics!

Thanksgiving!

Today was a first in our family.  Believe it or not, this was the very first time we've EVER had Thanksgiving at home!  We usually spend in with my dad's side of the family, and have on occasion spent it with my mom's side. 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family (Josh, my Grandma and her husband, Don) & friends (Majors)!  I ate entirely too much food today, but it sure was delicious! We spent the rest of the evening enjoying each other's company and playing games, whether it was the Wii or a game of 10,000.

I sure am a blessed girl.  There are so many things I am thankful for - my salvation, my family, my friends, my church, etc etc etc.  I could go on and on, but I won't.  But, before the night is over I do want to wish each and every person reading this a very Happy Thanksgiving!  May we be thankful for the Lord's many blessings EVERY DAY!!!

1Chronicles 16:8 ~ Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

The 'Kids Table'  =)

<3 Family <3

**For Laughs**

I just read this in an e-mail and had to add it!

May your stuffing be tasty,

May your turkey be plump.

May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious.
May your pies take the prize,
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs!!

Weekend Highlights

This past weekend was the annual Leadership Retreat for our home church in Oak Harbor.  My parents and the Majors went over and so naturally Maggie & I watched the girls plus 3 dogs!  Adding the dogs to the picture sure made it a challenge!

Maggie had to work on Friday, so I spent the day with the girls.  We had fun making Oatmeal Reeses Pieces cookies together....yum! Around 12:30 we headed out to pick up Dennis and Lindsey.  Selena left her minivan for us to drive around and it was so cute when I got the girls all buckled in and ready to go because Lilly piped up and said, "It's kinda like you're the mama!  If I say mama it's because that's what I think you are."  Haha...anyways...we took Dennis to a class and drove Lindsey around to different places to pick up applications for a job.  The girls did SO good!  I came all prepared with books and coloring books but we didn't even need to use them.  The snacks I brought came in handy though!  We picked up Maggie so she could spend her lunch break with us, and after taking her back to work we headed over to Starbucks!  I told the girls I would buy them either chocolate milk or hot chocolate since they were so good...of course they loved the idea of having hot chocolate and wanted to make sure they got a straw too, because according to Olivia a straw makes it taste like coffee!  I tell you, that girl had chocolate all over her mouth and clothes!  Eventually we made it back home and started to settle down for the night.  As I was outside with one of the dogs, I noticed it was starting to snow! We were all excited about that!  When we put the girls to bed we told them we would play in the snow the next day and even have hot chocolate afterwards...they liked that! Later when I went to bed, Olivia woke up and as were laying there I told her that we should close our eyes and go to sleep so we can get up and play in the snow.  It was so cute...she said, "Ok, but I don't want a straw in my hot chocolate."  Haha...when we finally got out to play in the snow we couldn't have been out there 2 minutes before Olivia started talking about wanting hot chocolate.  We had alot of fun spending time with the girls, and we even made two cakes on Saturday amidst the chaos!  We made a princess cake for Lilly's birthday and a football cake for Dennis' birthday.  They turned out really well! 



We let the girls play in the snow out on the deck in their pjs. That way we could watch them, but didn't have to be out there. :)

 



Poor little Chip was cold! He was running through the snow wimpering.





Dennis really wanted the princess cake. ;)

Starbucks!



Click on the picture to enlarge it and read all of the flavors!

Mmmm... I love the yummy flavors that come out this time of year!  I definitely plan on taking advantage of this offer, and thought I'd pass it along to all my coffee loving friends!

Thank You!

To all the veterans out there...thank you for your service to our country!

Letters

That's what you get during the process of looking for a job...letters.  The following are excerpts from the letters I've received over the past few months.

"While your skills are certainly impressive, we have selected other candidates..."

"Thank you for your interest...This position has now been filled..."

"Unfortunately you were not selected to move forward in the hiring process."

"Unfortunately we have had to recently make some budgetary changes that necessitate that we put hiring for this position on hold."

"We regret to inform you that you were not selected for an interview."

Friday I received a letter that was a little different...

"Although we do not have any positions open at this time, we would like the opportunity to contact you in the future to check your availability for needed dates..."

This last one was from an attorney's office that I visited a few weeks ago.  I was going around to different offices leaving my resume and seemed to have peaked the interest of this office.  I called them this afternoon and spoke with them briefly about it.  Basically, they really liked my resume and want to have me 'on call' in case they ever need someone to fill in for a secretary on vacation, etc.  So, while I haven't been hired or anything it's definitely a start in the right direction.  Maybe I'll be able to do some work for them and they'll find that they want to bring on a third secretary. Or, they may hear about another law office that needs a secretary and be able to refer me to them. It's all about who you know in this little town!

Italian

That's been the theme of dinner this week.  Full of carbs to be sure, but delicious! Here are just a few of the recipes I tried this week!

Classic Cheese Lasagna (from Martha Stewart)

1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese

1 large egg

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 pound fresh mozzarella

Marinara

Fresh Lasagna Noodles, cut into 4-by-13-inch strips and cooked, or store-bought dried noodles, cooked

5 ounces coarsely grated Parmesan cheese, (about 1 3/4 cups)

1.Preheat oven to 375. Combine ricotta, egg, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Season with pepper. Coarsely grate 1/2 of the mozzarella, and stir into ricotta mixture. Using your fingers, shred remaining mozzarella into 2-inch strips, and reserve.

2.Spread 1/2 cup marinara in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Place a layer of noodles over marinara. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over noodles, and sprinkle with 1/3 of the Parmesan. Place a layer of noodles over the cheese layer. Spread 1 cup marinara over noodles. Repeat layering (noodles, marinara, noodles, ricotta mixture, Parmesan) 2 more times. Spread remaining marinara over cheese layer, then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.

3.Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Triple Chocolate Tiramisu (from Better Homes & Gardens)

2 3-ounce packages ladyfingers, split (I made some...they were easy!)

1/4 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee

1 8-ounce carton mascarpone cheese

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ounce white chocolate baking squares or white baking bars, grated

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, grated

Unsweetened cocoa powder

Chopped chocolate-covered coffee beans (optional)

1. Line the bottom of an 8x8x2-inch baking pan with some of the ladyfingers, cutting to fit as necessary. Drizzle half of the espresso over ladyfingers;set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the mascarpone cheese, whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer just until stiff peaks form. Beat in the chocolate liqueur until just combined. Spoon half of the mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, spreading evenly. Sprinkle white chocolate and bittersweet chocolate over the mascarpone mixture. Top with another layer of ladyfingers (reserve any remaining ladyfingers for another use). Layer with remaining espresso and mascarpone cheese mixture.

3. Cover and chill for 6 to 24 hours. Sift cocoa powder over top of dessert. If desired, garnish with cocoa beans.

Italian Meatloaf (from FoodNetwork)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 red pepper, seeded, small diced (I used red pepper flakes)

1 onion, diced

2 teaspoons (about 3 cloves) chopped garlic

1 pound ground beef

2 eggs

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the peppers, onions and garlic. Saute until just soft, remove to a plate and cool.

When the peppers and onions are cool, combine all of the remaining ingredients together except for the marinara. Pack the meat mixture into an oiled loaf pan, if you do not have a loaf pan, form the meat mixture into a loaf shape on an oiled oven tray or baking dish. Top with the marinara making sure to spread evenly over the top.

Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F in the middle of the meatloaf. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

It's a race...

to see who can blog about it. 

That's what it's like sometimes in this house. ;-) With two bloggers under the same roof, doing alot of the same things, how do you decide who blogs about what? That's where it becomes a 'race' to see who will blog about it first. Sometimes you'll see Maggie post about things, sometimes me, and sometimes both of us. As for today...Maggie go to it first.  So head on over to read about our fun afternoon baking with Lilly & Olivia! 

The voice of the Lord...

(from Psalm 29)

...is upon the waters (3)
...is powerful (4)
...is full of majesty (4)
...breaketh the cedars (5)
...divideth the flames of fire (7)
...shaketh the wilderness (8)
...maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests (9)

What an awesome God we serve!

Psalm 29:2 ~ Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Faith

Every year our home church participates in what we call Faith Promise Missions. For those who are not familiar with it, it's where we make a commitment to God by faith that we'll give a certain amount of money per week to missions.  This is a decision that is made between you and God and it a faith-grower as you see God supply the money when you don't necessarily know where it's going to come from. 

I'm truly amazed at what the Lord has allowed me to give over the years, and it's exciting to think of how that money is being used to send men and their families all over the world to share the Gospel in places that I'll never go to.  So while I may not be able to physically go share the Gospel with certain people groups...my money can help send others who are able. It's also because of the same commitment to give in others that we are over here starting a church!

I'm coming up on almost 5 months without a job, and I'm not going to lie...it gets discouraging at times.  My parents have been a huge blessing by taking care of some of my bills during this time. (Put it on my tab...haha)  One thing that was really discouraging to me though was not being able to give my faith promise.  I knew that the Lord knew my heart and that I really desired to give it, but just wasn't able.  One afternoon I expressed such feelings with my mom and so we prayed about it.  Although the Lord hasn't provided a full-time job yet, He has provided the babysitting job...which is turning out to be longer than the anticipated 2 weeks!  It doesn't pay much, BUT it's giving me money to give towards faith promise!  Praise the Lord!  So, as mentioned before it's a faith growing experience, and I look forward to seeing how the Lord will continue to provide for my needs. 

Hebrews 11:1 ~ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.


Philippians 4:19 ~ But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Little

little fingers...little toes...little lips...little nose

They're so much cuter when they're little!

It's time...

There have been a couple of things I've been pondering for a while. 

#1 - Start commenting on blogs that I stalk read which are written by people I don't personally know. 
#2 - Have you, my blog stalkers readers, identify yourselves!

I've started commenting on blogs...now it's your turn.  Whether I know you or not...you've been reading for awhile or it's your first visit...please make yourself known!  If you still wish to remain anonymous...it's ok, I forgive you. :) 

Ready, set, comment!!

God Wants To Hear You Sing

Maggie, Chris & I sang this on Sunday.  It's a great song!  There were a few hiccups in the second verse, but I'm posting it anyways because it was requested. ;-)

Update

I'm still plugging away at looking for a job.  I'm constantly checking worksource and have applied for several position recently, but haven't heard anything back from them.  I know God has a reason for me being out of work this long.  So, I'm just trying to be patient and trust in Him! 

In the meantime...I start babysitting on Monday for a 7-month old little boy (my dad's coworker's grandson).  It'll be Mon-Thur for the next 2 weeks.  Praise the Lord He has allowed me this opportunity to make some cash and be a witness/testimony to this family!  

How much wood...

Before



During





After

We spent a busy 5 1/2 hours today cutting wood.  Praise the Lord for log splitters!  Much thanks to Brother Otto and Arthur for coming over and letting us use it!!!  We had a great time of fellowship with them and now have plenty of wood to get us through the winter. 

Also...Praise the Lord He held off the rain long enough for us to get it all done!!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday!  Unfortunately he had to work, but I guess that's what happens when you grow up. =)  We sang to him this morning like we always do, and crawled back in bed while he went off to work. *sheepish grin* 

I made enchiladas for dinner and Maggie made a pineapple upside down cake for dessert...two of his favorite things!  We played a couple rounds of Rummikub and then watched some Cake Boss & Hoarding. (Cake Boss makes me want to decorate cakes....Hoarding makes me want to clean! haha)  Oh, and we also got his weight machine put in our excerise room...completing it for now...until we get a treadmill.  Yay!!  I think the only thing that would have made today better, would have been to have Josh here.  :( 

Joyful
Easy-going
Faithful
Friendly
Reliable
Efficient
Youthful

Happy Birthday, Dad!  I love you very much!!!

My Little Messenger

Brother Majors came over last night so he and my dad could begin watching the last Bible Institute class.  While us girls were upstairs we decided to finish watching Emma.  We had disc 2, but wanted to finish disc 1 first even though we've seen it many times over.  The only problem was disc one was downstairs with the guys and we were *ahem* in our pjs!

We started joking around about sending Max downstairs to retrieve the desired DVD, and I decided to try it out!

I put a bag around his neck with a note attached and sent him downstairs.  At first he tried to eat the note, so I moved the bag around so it was on his back.  He wouldn't go down the stairs all by himself...so I went with him down to the landing and a couple steps more just to get him going.  He went all the way down and turned into the office.  Wrong direction! :)  He quickly realized they weren't in there and went across to the family room this time partly carrying the bag in his mouth as shown by the pictures. Haha...I was cracking up!!!  He walked in and the guys were like, 'Hey Max what you got there?  Oh, it's a note...they want the DVD that was in the laptop.'  By this point I was dying!!  They put the DVD in the bag and sent Max back my way.  I had to call him, but he was more than happy to help. :)  He loves carrying stuff around....it's so funny!!  I wish I had the whole thing on video, but oh well.  I did take pictures afterwards!

 "Please put Emma in the bag.  It was in the laptop."

 

Dinner

This week has been my turn to plan the menu and cook.  Here's what I came up with!

Monday - Italian Chicken, Homemade Mac & Cheese, Green Beans
Tuesday - Taco Soup, Homemade Artisan Bread
Wednesday - Chicken/Bacon/Avocado Melts, Fries
Thursday - Leftovers :)
Friday - Chicken Stirfry

So far, everything has been delicious!

Fun with the Howers!

As you may have read on Maggie's blog, Alyssa and some of her family came to visit us on Monday!  It was so much fun to see them again and spend time together. 

(To spare everyone from reading the same stuff 3 times...I'll tell you about our adventures floating the river!)

The weather was so nice while they were here and we were sure to take advantage of it!  On Tuesday we had great intentions of floating the river, but it was not to be.  Once we got to the drop off point, the wind was picking up.  Wouldn't you know it was blowing in the WRONG direction!!  We were determined despite this, and got out on the water.  At first we were having complications with paddling the boat. Haha...teamwork wasn't so good!  So we tried different combinations of paddlers, but that didn't seem to make much of a difference.  =)  We didn't make it very far before we decided that it was going to be to difficult with the wind against us, so we turned around and headed back to shore with the intention of starting at a different spot further down the river.  Thankfully our ride hadn't left yet!!  As we got ready to leave, we found out it was just as windy further down the river, so we decided not to float after all.  Instead, we spent the afternoon at the lake, but you'll have to go to Alyssa's blog to read about that!

Ahhh...good times!  Looking forward to their next visit when they'll *hopefully* get to stay longer!

Alyssa and Maggie were 'chauffeuring' me around for a bit. :)

It's here...It's here!

Fall is officially here as of yesterday!  Time to break out the sweaters, scarves, pumpkin pie flavored candles (and everything else deliciously flavored pumpkin!), soup recipes, pie recipes and whatever else reminds you of fall.  I have to say, I think fall just might be my favorite season!  I don't know what it is about it.  I LOVE it! 

Here's something I made today that was absolutely delicious! Apple Crostata with Caramel Sauce....Mmmm!