Barron and Betsy's Excellent Adventure

Mossy Monogram - Pottery Barn Inspired

2012-01-20T17:20:00.001-06:00

Over the holiday break I was in a gorgeous store in Mississippi called The Potting Shed and saw these lovely moss covered letters. Simple and elegant, don't you think?

Yeah, that simple thing was $79. Same for Pottery Barn. I walked away...but not without a picture. ;) My momma taught me a lot of things and one of them was "I can do that." So here we go. Keep in mind it's not an exact science and you may or may not need this level of instruction, but just in case, I'll try to be thorough.

I've found a handful of other tutorials for these online, but every one I have seen did a small letter - something you can get at Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's. If that's what you want, great, go for it. But for my front door, we were going BIG. The letters at Pottery Barn are between 18"-20", so that's what I went for. I found letters online at WoodenLetters.net for $10. You can even pick your font. The crux was the shipping was $10 for just about any size order, big or small, so I talked my small group gals into joining me and share the cost. It would still be a lot cheaper than PB without splitting the cost, but it's a fun activity, so why not?

Next up, moss. Found sheets of it at JoAnn's with webbed backing. Perfect. Used a coupon (40% or 50% off). I bought the largest sheet they have and it would make 3, maybe 4 letters, depending on the shape and size.

The other items are pretty self explanatory. Burlap, brown paint, staple gun, glue gun, scissors.

The letters come unfinished, and even though I got the outdoor letters, I decided to go ahead and prime and paint the edge. Having done it, I highly recommend it. It doesn't take long and the finished product looks more finished. So prime and paint the edges dark brown or black. I mixed the two since all I had was light brown. Don't worry if you get it all over the face of the letter. One side will be covered, the other side facing the door. Please note, in the picture you may notice I painted one entire side. I had some extra paint and thought it would look nice. Then I realized that was a mistake, as the paint would likely transfer to the front door. Tsk tsk. So that side got the moss. ::shrug::

Once the letter is dry, lay it on the mesh side of your moss and trace with a marker. If your letter has a correct direction, make sure you lay it down the right direction! Cut along the line (you can trim excess later if needed).

Now just glue the two pieces together. I laid mine out first and then pulled it down to just above the middle, applying glue 2-3 inches at a time, stretching the entire sheet back down to line it up again, then pressing it down. Once I got the top half of the letter done, I did the middle and then continued down the letter. Do it however you want, but check your alignment often.

Last, the burlap. I cut two strips 6" wide and a yard long, but I think I'd go with 4" strips the next time. Fold in half and attach to the top of you letter at the appropriate places. Then tie a bow. It took me a few tries to get it to look how I wanted and to get it in the right position, so make sure you have plenty of length to work with. The length will also depend on where you are hanging it, so you'll just have to play with it. I also ended up adding a twist tie threaded through the burlap in back to hang it on a nail.

And voila, the finished product! I'm pleased - and the total cost is right at $13. Take that PB! Let me know if you make one or if you have other questions.

Slow Cooker Potato Soup - Great for Company!

2012-01-17T11:51:00.000-06:00

Been meaning to post this for a while. (sorry!) This potato soup recipe was recommended by my dear friend Tammi who found it on this blog. It's really easy, although if you're trying to eat healthy, probably not the best for every day. But when company is coming over, it's perfect -- what isn't with cream cheese, right? Of course, as life would haven't, I didn't follow the recipe exactly, so here's my take on it.

Easy Slow Cooker Potato Soup

2.5-3 lbs potatoes, chopped (peeled if you prefer) - whatever variety you have on hand should do

3 14oz. cans of chicken broth

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1 pkg. cream cheese (don’t use fat free, but reduced fat is fine)

Toppings

shredded cheese

bacon

green onions

Directions

Prep the potatoes. Spray your slow cooker with non-stick spray. Thank me later. Toss everything except cream cheese in slow cooker, stir, and turn it on low. I let mine cook 6-8 hours, but you could modify this as needed - even cook it on the stovetop to speed things along. When the potatoes have softened (let's say after 6 hours), scoop out 2 cups of the potatoes. Mash with a fork and return to the slow cooker. This helps thicken the soup. If you don't like chunks of potatoes in yours soup, mash all of it, but I prefer some chunks.

An hour before dinner, toss in the cream cheese. I have found it best to chop it into pieces, as it melts quicker, but you do it however you like.

Pour into bowls and add toppings of your choice. Yum!

Homemade Beef and Broccoli

2011-12-12T22:20:00.000-06:00

Found this recipe for Beef and Broccoli on Pinterest and thought it would be fun to try. It was pretty simple to make and really good. Much of the prep can be done the night before, making for a quick evening meal. Just don't forget to prep the rice like I did., especially if you are using brown. Thanks to Rainy Day Gal for the recipe and photo!

Beef with Broccoli
This easy version of the Chinese takeout classic requires only a short marinade to make the beef fork-tender. Serve over white or brown rice. Serves 4.
Prep Time: 10 minutes + 1 hour for marinade Cook Time: 8 minutes

First, marinate the meat:

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs flank steak, sliced into thin strips (I used sirloin steak and it was excellent)

1. Whisk together the baking soda, sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, water, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Toss the steak with the marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, then proceed below. (I marinated it all afternoon.)

1/2 c low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp sherry (I left this out)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 heads broccoli, crowns only

1. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, flour and sherry until smooth. Set aside.

2. In a large wok or saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering. Add broccoli and saute 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer broccoli to a plate.

3. Carefully add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the hot pan. Add the marinated meat and half of the sauce mixture and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Stir in the broccoli and remaining sauce. Saute 1 minute more. Serve.

Salted Butter Vanilla Fudge

2011-12-06T21:44:00.001-06:00

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite things at Christmas is fudge and this year I have been in the mood to try new flavors. First up - Salted Butter Vanilla Fudge. I found this recipe through Pinterest and discovered the original is in Italian...at least I think it's Italian...but thanks to Google translate, I was able to get the idea. It was worth the trouble. Very complex with the salty-sweet combination. Give it a try this holiday season.

NOTE: The original recipe is in grams. If you have a digital scale, switch it to grams mode and weigh each ingredient, taring (zeroing out) the scale after each addition. If you don't have a digital scale, buy one! It will change your life.

Photo from original post

Salted Butter Vanilla Fudge

450 g of white sugar

125 g of fresh cream

150 g salted butter

25 g of golden syrup (light corn syrup is fine)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (the flavor will depend heavily on this ingredient)

1 teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt

In a large saucepan combine the sugar, cream, salted butter and syrup and bring it to 244° F (118 ° C) (a candy thermometer is essential). As soon as it reaches the desired temperature, remove pan from heat and let cool for ten minutes without stirring. Add the vanilla extract and salt and pour into electric mixer with paddle attachment. Beat until it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Pour the mixture into a square pan (8x8) lined with parchment paper and level quickly. Sprinkle with a little extra salt, if desired. Let cool completely. Turn out the fudge and cut into cubes as desired.

DC Trip: Food Trucks

2011-06-01T22:13:00.000-05:00

One thing I was really looking forward to in DC was the food trucks. I'm not really sure how the idea got into my head -- perhaps someone mentioning I needed to get a cupcake from Curbside Cupcakes -- but whatever it was, I was in. Weeks before we went I started following a handful of the trucks (there are a lot!) on Twitter to get a feel of how it all works. Basically they tweet their location mid-morning each day and it become a game to try to find them. In principle, that's easy enough. There's even an app for that - more than one. But it's not exact.

For instance, the first day we were near the Sauca truck...well...sort of near. We were in a hurry and walking as fast as we could, but couldn't seem to find the truck. I kept checking Google Maps on my phone and saying "it should be right here." We walked past many overpriced pretzel and hot dog stands and really were getting pressed for time but I realized that we had actually walked underneath an overpass and that was (probably) where Sauca was. Whoops! Sure enough, there it was. All that to say thank you to my sweet husband for humoring me and walking...and walking...and walking.

Ok, so Sauca. They describe themselves as "globally inspired" cuisine. They have four trucks and just opened a brick and mortar location as well. Their menu had a lot of different ethnic foods that all came in a flatbread wrap. A Mexican style fish taco, Indian style Butter Chicken, even Italian style meatballs. We went for the Mumbai Butter Chicken, Polpette Marinara, and a Signature "Limunad." Sorry that we failed to get pics of the food, but for me, it wasn't that great - especially the "limunad." Ick. So yeah....maybe I we just didn't get the best thing, but I would chase it down again.

The one I most wanted to try was Red Hook Lobster Pound aka "the Lobster Truck." They put a second truck on the road shortly after our trip, so now their trucks go by Lobby 1 and Lobby 2. As you can guess, they serve lobster, plus shrimp, clam chowder, and whoopie pies. Lobster, even out of a truck, isn't exactly cheap, but the people in line testified that it was totally worth it. We decided to play it safe and went with one lobster roll and one shrimp and wow, it was a lot of lobster and shrimp! Very tasty. I don't know if I'd eat it weekly, but definitely worth trying if it's in your area. Oh, and these guys also had a great setup with iPad and Square. Very nice.

Next up - CapMacDC. That's right - a truck devoted to macaroni and cheese! They have a great classic Mac 'n cheese, but they also try more unique versions like the Reuben or Goat Cheese Mac. We decided we had to get a classic (which I ordered "balls to the wall" -- with chicken meatballs) and the Chicken Parm Meatballs. While I know this is about the mac 'n cheese, can I say the chicken meatballs were awesome!? But the mac 'n cheese - right. The classic was really good. Very cheesy and topped off with crushed Cheez-its. Yum! The Chicken Parm was good, but not necessarily special...except for those meatballs. :)

Last but not least, Curbside Cupcakes! Their trucks are aptly named Pinky 1 and Pinky 2. So cute! And their cupcakes were awesome. Moist and lots of frosting - that's what I'm talking about! While most trucks make just one stop a day for lunch, each of the Curbside Cupcake trucks hit four spots a day, plus a wildcard with whatever is left. They post their full schedule on Facebook each week and take votes via Twitter for the wildcard spots each day. The first time we saw the truck was right after eating a late pancake breakfast at Eastern Market, so we had to pass them up and we just barely caught them on their last stop of the day on our last day! (Again I had Barron trucking it across the National Mall chasing a food truck. He is too good to me.)

If you are heading to DC soon and want to check out some food trucks, check out Food Truck Fiesta, which keeps track of all the trucks and often has the first news on any new ones.

DC Trip: Nate's Big Day

2011-05-28T21:57:00.002-05:00

One of my best friends from my college days got married at the end of April, so we headed out to Washington, DC for his big day. Although we hadn't met his bride-to-be, Alex, from everything he had said we were certain the Lord had brought the two of them together. It has been fun to see how the Lord brought him to this day. Here's his face as he sees her for the first time - I think that says it all. (Way to go Barron getting the pic!)

The wedding was so beautiful and worshipful. Nate and Alex attend Capital Hill Baptist Church on Capital Hill. It's an incredible church - more on that in another post. Diego, our dear friend from Mexico, also few in for the wedding. It was like a big reunion...except you know how it goes at weddings...the bride and groom don't get to spend as much time with everyone as they would like. No worries, though. We had a great time catching up with Diego and getting to know some of Nate and Alex's friends. Here's a pic of all of us at the reception (held at the restaurant at Mt. Vernon).

No time with Nate would be complete without our signature photo op. We have tons of these from our many adventures, mainly on mission trips with the college ministry. Good times.

Me and my sweet husband. :)

15-Layer Cake

2011-03-13T21:57:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I got together with one of my best buds Marshmallow Sarah to take on a baking challenge. Before I go on, let me note that I do not call her "marshmallow" because she reminds me of one -- well, she is sweet -- but rather because she makes the most amazing homemade marshmallows. You can check out her sweet treats at Stay Sweet Bakery.

Ok, back to the cake. I've seen the cakes in magazines before and have always been curious. Then I saw one on Bakerella's site and told Sarah I had found our next challenge. She was, of course, up for it, so off we went.

It took us about 5 hours and we went ahead and added the chocolate cream cheese frosting at Bakerella's suggestion. I'll walk you through the stages, but don't miss my closing thoughts at the end. Here it is as we began to assemble it:

This is the cake at the end of the original recipe, with just the boiled chocolate icing. (Think no-bake cookie.)

Here it is after we added the extra icing. Look at those beautiful layers!

Another show....thanks to Sarah's husband for the nice photos.

Looks amazing, right? Well, call us picky, but neither of us were big fans. The cake was pretty much flavorless and was the consistency of some combination between a eggy pancake or a thick crepe. I was expecting yellow cake flavor and consistency, albeit thinner layers, and this was nothing close to it. As for the icing (the original, boiled chocolate one), it didn't do anything for me, either...but no-bake cookies aren't my favorite either, so take it for what it's worth. The best part of the cake was the extra chocolate cream cheese frosting that Bakerella recommended. Oh boy, it was good! In fact, on the pieces of cake I brought home, I just scraped the icing off the outside and ate that. Shhh, don't tell ;)

Final verdict: save yourself some time and don't bother with this cake. It's not worth it...unless you just want a good excuse to hang out with a dear friend for hours. :)

I'm Alfredo So

2011-03-03T21:23:00.001-06:00

We wanted shrimp tonight, but I wasn't sure how I was going to cook them. Then I went to Aldi today and got some adorable tagliatelle pasta nests and thought Shrimp Alfredo sounded yummy. Headed over to Cooking Light and found this recipe for Seafood Alfredo.

I didn't have everything listed, so here is exactly how I made it:

3/4 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled (mine were already cooked, so I tossed them in the finished sauce)
1 cup milk (1/4 cup cream, the rest skim milk)
1/4 teaspoon salt (I just threw some in)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (ditto)
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 cups hot cooked fettuccine (about 1/2 pound uncooked pasta)

Preparation

Melt butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute or until tender. Add shrimp; sauté 3 minutes or until done. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Add milk, salt, pepper; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly (do not boil). Gradually sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over seafood mixture, stirring constantly; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Combine pasta and seafood mixture in a large bowl. Top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese and 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley.

It was really good! As the recipe warns, the sauce is a thin sauce - not thickened with flour - but it does cover the noodles well. I preferred it to other sauces - didn't feel heavy, but had lots of flavor. I also threw in some roasted red peppers, too - just tossed them into the sauce while it was heating up. Since I didn't have the onions it called for, I thought it needed something else. So anyway, there you go.

In other news, my little trip to Aldi today was awesome. Got the fun pasta nests, the roasted red peppers, plus a $0.99 pineapple, a bag of oranges for $1.49, and strawberries for $1.60. No complaints there! Thinking I may need to go back and get some more...unless you beat me there!

*Photo courtesy of Ulrik.

Better Late Than Never

2011-02-28T22:07:00.002-06:00

Well hey there. Yeah. It's me. We are still alive. Just been busy. Really busy, apparently. But rather than try to catch up, let's just gloss over all that act like it never happened, eh? Great!

So for Christmas I got Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Yeast baking in its most simple form. I know - you quit reading at the word "yeast." But come back! This is seriously easy. Dump all the ingredients into a large container, let it rise, then throw it in the fridge. It will keep for 14 days until you are ready to bake. One recipe makes four loaves, which you can bake all at once or one at a time - whatever works for you. On baking day, pull out a chunk, shape it according to the directions, and let it rise again. Bake! Did you notice I didn't mention kneading? Nope - no kneading. So yes, it still takes some time, but no where near the usual. Try it yourself - here's the "master recipe."

Oh, and I got another sweet tool for Christmas that has aided the baking - a dough whisk. It makes mixing up the dough quick and painless right in the storage container - so no cleanup. And tonight I discovered it's perfect for mashed potatoes. (I get frustrated trying to clean out the holes in the potato masher...it may never make it out of the drawer again!) Anyway, it may just look like a crazy utensil, but it has proved very useful.

In other news, did you know I'm a bag girl? Not so much purses, but bags. I am drawn to them. Well right now I am in love with this tote from Gussy Sews. Have you seen her stuff before? She has the most adorable signature ruffle on everything she makes and SHE is adorable, too (we're Twitter pals). Go check out all of her things - you won't be disappointed. I will continue to covet this bag. If you would like to make a donation to the "Betsy really wants this bag" fund, we accept any and all forms of payment. :) Otherwise, you can sign up to win one for yourself over at CupcakeMag's blog!

That's all I got tonight. Hopefully more to come. Thanks for stopping by again.

Cornhusker Crazy

2010-11-05T21:37:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we headed north to see my dear friend Amy and the Mizzou-Nebraska game. Let's just say it was a good thing I had other reason to be there than the game, because that was a "fast action fanny kickin'" as my dad likes to say. Here's some pics from the trip. Those folks truly do live and breathe Nebraska football!

Baked Oatmeal - Perfect Fall Breakfast

2010-10-10T20:35:00.000-05:00

An old friend from high school posted a recipe for baked oatmeal on her blog Polly Learn and Go last week, so I made it for Saturday morning brunch. You all know my love for oats, so I was happy to have another recipe to try. I'm going to post it here with my changes, but be sure to visit Polly's blog and Etsy shop - she has all sorts of fun before and afters of garage sale finds and sewing projects. See a couple of here Etsy items below.

Ingredients

3 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup nuts (I used pecans)

1/2 cup oil (I used canned pumpkin)

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 chopped apple

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together, pour into greased 9x9 or 8x8 baking dish.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Polly's Tips:
Serve warm.
Pour a little milk over it.
Add some fresh fruit to it.
It saves really well in the fridge so it's a great meal to give to someone or to save and munch on throughout the week.

Enjoy!

All-Name Team

2010-08-24T22:02:00.000-05:00

My brother was named on ESPN's Big 12 blog recently. And you'll never guess what for. He made the "All-Name Team." What is that, you ask? Names the writer likes for being weird, cool, funny, or just a great football name. Way to go Mom and Dad. You picked a good one. I must admit I had to look up the "Agent Orange" thing, though. I get it now. :)

However, this is not his first All-Name team. He made AOL Sports All-Name team last year (featuring pic from his days as a Camdenton Laker).

Anyway, Forrest is a 5th-year senior this year at Mizzou. Hard to believe it has gone by so quickly. While listed as a wide receiver, he most important duty is holding the ball for all the extra points and field goals. It may sound simple, but it is high-stress and highly specialized. He does a great job and even was credited with a touchdown pass last year on a fake field goal! Not many college football players can say that! See for yourself:

First game is next Saturday and we'll be there! Looking forward to another fun season. Love you and so proud of you, Forrest!

Asian Dressing

2010-08-18T22:13:00.004-05:00

How's that for a creative title? Oh yeah. I know you're jealous.

Anyway, made some Asian dressing tonight to go with my salad for lunch tomorrow. I haven't eaten it on the leaves yet, but the little taste I had on my finger was pretty scrumptious. I made some of the changes suggested in the comments, so here's a new version. (See original here.)

Photo credit http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1150594

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic, minced (I used powdered - in a hurry)
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root (ditto)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup water

Directions

In a 1 pint glass jar or larger, combine the garlic, ginger, olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and water. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake well. Remove lid, and heat jar in the microwave for 1 minute just to dissolve the honey. Let cool, and shake well before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator.

In other news, the protein powder I ordered came in and I made my first recipe of breakfast bars (heavy on the protein). Not sure I love them, but they were easy. You can find the recipe under the Discussions tab on @ThriveFit's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ThrivePersonalFitness.

One Wicked Weekend

2010-08-10T22:31:00.002-05:00

http://www.wickedthemusical.com/A while back Barron and I took a little belated anniversary trip to St. Louis. Yes, it was a little delayed, but who cares! We were going to Wicked! We decided to make a weekend of it hit up an awesome Italian place - Candicci's - Penzey's Spices, and the City Museum. If you have never been, it is definitely worth checking out - even more so if you have kids.

It is filled with tunnels, slides, and all sorts of other crazy things made of re-purposed materials. Whoever designed this joint is a wacky genius. There's even a Ferris wheel on the roof! It was fun, but it is best for kids - adventurous kids. There are lots of nooks and crannies to crawl through, and they are not made for adults. I honestly thought we might get stuck in a couple places, but we lived to tell the tale.

Whee!

After the City Museum we headed to Belleville to stay with my grandmother "Granna" in her new home. She has lived in the same place almost my entire life, but up and moved this summer. It was fun to see her new place and spend time with her.

And finally it was off to the main event (no offense, Granna), WICKED!!

Now I know you're probably thinking that Barron was just being nice to go with me (well, that's not totally untrue), but he had never been to a Broadway show, so he was looking forward to it. And it did not disappoint! He was most impressed by the production itself - sound, lighting, effects, etc - and I was...well, I loved it all. If you aren't familiar with it, Wicked is a prequel of sorts to The Wizard of Oz and tells the story of all that had happened before Dorothy arrived. Go check it out - you won't be disappointed! (and if nothing else, buy the soundtrack!)

Welcome Blog Hop '10

2010-08-09T22:04:00.000-05:00

Well hello blog hoppers! Welcome to my corner of the world. Here you'll find a lot of recipes, some personal stories and news, projects I find time to tackle, and other random things as they happen. Honestly, I'm a shameful member - I've been so busy working on other people's blogs and websites lately that my own is not very current...but I still want to "dance." Thanks for stopping by and take a look around - what recipes and things I do have can be found easily with the labels to the right.

Spread the Word!

2010-08-08T22:26:00.003-05:00

So, have you heard we have a house to sell? Yep, we still own Barron's house from before we got married. We are hoping to sell it, but open to doing whatever the Lord shows us to do. Last time we put it up for sale the Lord brought some friends looking for a place to rent, so we rented to them for 16 months. They have now moved on, so the house is back on the market.

We would appreciate you passing on the information on your blog, Facebook page, Twitter account - however you can get the word out there for us. You can find the information at http://barronshouse.blogspot.com.

And yes, I promise I will blog about something more fun soon. Life has been crazy (including, but not limited to the house), but no complaints! Just no time to blog!

The Perfect Dinner

2010-06-28T21:05:00.003-05:00

Back when we were dating, Barron took me to Macaroni Grill - the first visit for both of us. He ordered the salmon, which was served with orzo (not even sure I knew what orzo was). We loved it and I, of course, thought "I can make that." And thanks to How Stuff Works, I can!

Orzo with Spinach and Red Pepper

Ingredients:

4 ounces (~ 3/4 cup) uncooked orzo pasta (or whatever you have - it's pasta)

Nonstick olive oil cooking spray

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano or basil (optional)

1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

Preparation:

1. Prepare orzo according to package directions; drain and set aside. You can even make it the night before and have it ready for tomorrow night's dinner.

2. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add oil and garlic to the pot and turn skillet medium until hot. Add bell pepper; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until bell pepper is crisp-tender. Add orzo and spinach; stir until well mixed and heated through. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese, oregano or basil, if desired, and lemon pepper. Garnish as desired.

*In case you're not familiar with orzo, it is a pasta that looks like tiny, slightly flattened footballs about the size of plump rice grains. Alphabet or tiny bead-shaped pasta are good substitutes if no orzo is available.

The salmon marinade is from our friends The Carters (yes, the awesome photographer) and it's super-easy:

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

lemon pepper

garlic powder

Sprinkle salmon with lemon pepper and garlic and place in shallow dish before mixing up the marinade. Mix other ingredients in a bowl and pour over fish. Marinade at least 15 minutes. We typically grill ours, but you could do it on the stove or in the oven - whatever you prefer.

YUM! And no, we have not ever been back to Macaroni Grill. :)

Catching Up With Oatmeal

2010-06-05T22:30:00.002-05:00

Wow, and I thought I had a long gap between posts last time. Nope, this one wins.

So hello, here I am.

I find myself spending so much time on other blogs and finding new things to try (most often recipes) that I don't have time to blog about all the other stuff. Sorry about that.

We're working on eating healthier and whole-grain-ier around here. so I've been trying all kinds of new things. A quick rundown:

Vermont Whole Wheat Honey Oat Bread from King Arthur Flour - I love oats. Let's get that established. So this sounded amazing! And it is...well, if I hadn't screwed it up. Let's back up. I made this bread last weekend and was filled with pride just looking at it. It was my first true sandwich loaf (read: huge). I couldn't wait to bust into it. Unfortunately we discovered it was quite crumbly and dry. Blast it breads! Why must you be so picky? Often I find myself not trying recipes twice because I find something that sounds even better; this one, however, will be one I come back to. I will not be defeated!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes - These sounded good and healthy, so we gave them a whirl one morning. I asked Barron to handle the flipping of the 'cakes, so he pours out a few on the griddle and then says, "hmmm...seems a little runny." Boy he wasn't kidding. It was a mound of oatmeal surrounded by a milky mixture...hmm. Thankfully they cooked up beautifully (albeit a bit slower than your usual pancake). And they were so filling. Just two medium-size pancakes with some eggs was plenty. Give it a try!

Cold Oatmeal Breakfast - While we're on an oatmeal kick, let's not stop. An old friend of mine and I were discussing - what else - oatmeal (seriously) and I told her how much I loved oats but didn't eat them much in the summer because they're hot. She agreed but said she had a great recipe for make-ahead, no-cooking required, cold oats. (Yes, I see your skeptical glances.) She was kind enough to share her recipe with me and I'm sure won't mind me sharing it with you.

1/2 c Old fashioned oats
cinnamon - whatever looks good to you - shake shake

salt - just a pinch
**If you are into raisins, add them here. If not, move on.**
1/4 c yogurt (any flavor - I've been using vanilla)
1/4 c milk
1 T honey or maple syrup (the real stuff) or agave (give or take according to your taste)
vanilla - just a splash (it's not a must, but I also heart vanilla)

Add ingredients to a bowl/mug/small container in the order listed, stopping to stir after adding the salt (to get the cinnamon and salt well incorporated). Once all ingredients are added, mix well, cover, and put in the fridge overnight. That's where the magic happens. Come back in the morning and you'll have oatmeal about the consistency of your regular hot oatmeal, only it will be cold (and oh so yummy!). You can then add berries, banana, whatever else sounds good, but I honestly like it best plain. The first day I made it with agave and didn't love it. The second day I tried honey and didn't think I'd love it, but oh did I. And a few days later I went the maple syrup route and that is quite yummy as well. Give it a try a couple days! It's so easy and great for you.

Ok, so that's enough oatmeal for one post, no? If you have any other favorite oatmeal recipes, DO SHARE!

Last but not least, I'm making baguettes this weekend. White ones. No healthiness here, just a little baking challenge. We'll see how it goes. I'm nervous.

30 Days

2010-04-28T22:30:00.000-05:00

Wow, just realized it's been 30 days since I last blogged. Oops! We've been keeping busy I guess. Spring has sprung and we've been busy doing yard work -- prepping the garden, planting new trees (yea!), mowing (blah!) -- plus other fun house maintenance stuff. So yeah, no huge desire to blog. One of those projects is removing the hinges and doorknobs from pretty much every door in our house to clean the paint off (yes, previous owners didn't bother avoiding the hardware when painting the doors white). The cleaning is actually quite easy. Just place them in a crock pot full of water with a small amount of laundry detergent added. Allow to soak on low for a couple hours or until paint loosens. You'll know when it does - you can just peel it off with your fingers for the most part at that point. So yeah, fun! Here's a before and after pic from the bathroom hinges. (Click on them to get up close and personal.)

Our church's Global Impact conference was this past weekend and our dear friends Preston and Courtney (and their sweet new addition, Callie) were in town for that and a little vacation. It was SO good to see them. You just can't beat those forever friends God puts in your life, ya know? It was also fun to get to know Callie. She is a gorgeous baby. Sadly the only picture I have on my camera worth posting is of Tammi and I. She's holding Callie and I'm holding her boy Cooper. Aren't they cute?

We have also celebrated Barron's birthday. Hooray! He hates to make a big deal out of the day, so for his birthday we did nothing. Well, not totally nothing, but no chores. I made him biscuits and gravy for brunch and we went out for dinner and a movie that night. Saw the animated flick How To Train Your Dragon. Cute. It was a fun day.

(Speaking of biscuits and gravy, I tried it with spicy turkeys sausage made at our local Harter House. Yum! Healthier and cheaper than regular sausage. Give it a try!)

And for his actual birthday evening, I made some homemade mac and cheese with kale. Yes, you read right. Kale. I heard about it on Yeebird and wanted to give it a try. Check out the recipe here. It was pretty good, although I subbed some cream cheese and Laughing Cow wedges for the goat cheese, so it lost a little of the zing it may have had. The kale wasn't much different than spinach. Even Barron was shocked. (Isn't he a sweetheart for giving it a whirl?) Here's a pic of it in my new "wavy baker" (as I call it). Fun!

In other news, if you're on Facebook, be sure to pay attention to all the new privacy stuff. Mashable had a nice article on it here. Also, they've rolled out there "connections" junk on your info tab. If you go to edit your profile, it will ask if you want to connect to pages associated with your likes and interests (ie: if you say "the Bible," it will link you to that page). What they don't tell you is that any page you are linked to can display info about you AND if you choose not to connect to the pages, your only option is to delete the interest, so yeah, I'm not not interested in much of anything. Frustrating. Don't kid yourself - Facebook is looking out for #1!

Anyway, hope you are all doing well and enjoying Spring!

Dress It Up

2010-03-29T21:17:00.000-05:00

Tonight we needed to use up some odds and ends for dinner - breaded chicken strips (frozen, not the yummy oven-baked ones) and romaine lettuce. I remembered seeing some homemade dressing recipes on FoodieRachel's blog recently, so I clicked over and decided to try her Honey Mustard recipe.

Anyone who has tried Honey Mustard knows that not all are created equal. But Rachel assured readers that it "has a more mild mustard flavor- its not bitter at all," and, no surprise, she was right. It was not only a wonderful salad dressing, but was a great sauce for the chicken and will be a great sandwich spread. Yum!

Be sure to check out her blog for great, creative recipes.

Honey Mustard Dressing from FoodieRachel
1 c. mayonnaise
3 T. yellow mustard
3 T. Honey
2 T. vegetable oil
2 tsp. dried basil (or 2 T. fresh)
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika

I just whisk it all together and store in a jar for up to 2 weeks.

Putting My Appetite and Opinions to Good Use

2010-03-28T22:58:00.000-05:00

I've recently started doing some writing for the Springfield Foodie, a local blog devoted to all things food here in Springfield, Missouri. Sounds right up my ally, eh? I thought so, too. See my first review about Springfield's own taco stand here. Yum!

Dinner Ideas

2010-03-14T23:06:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the long delay between posts. I have great intentions and somehow it just doesn't get finished. But enough excuses; to the food.

First off, if you have not made the recipe I recommended for Pretzel Bread, you are missing out. I hadn't made it since that post, but Barron has been requesting it, so yesterday I churned it out. Don't be intimidated by homemade bread. It's really not as complicated as you're thinking. I did make a few modifications this time; we didn't have as much time as the recipe calls for this time around, so I decided to take my chances and lessen the rising time and it came out great. Just two half-hour rises and voila. I also made six small bun-sized pieces insead of the four last time - perfect for a sandwich. And wow, I had forgotten how good it is. I'm hoping to make them monthly - maybe more often. And maybe a whole wheat version. Hmm...

Another new venture last week was Oven "Fried" Chicken. My grandmother makes the most wonderful fried chicken -- boneless breasts cut into strips and fried -- but we save that for trips to her house. At home we at least attempt to eat a little bit more healthy. And so, that said, we needed an alternative. Yes, there's Shake 'n Bake and yes, I've heard of the cornflake crust before, but I was skeptical. Here's the recipe I concocted after reading a handful on the web:

1 c Buttermilk (egg would probably be fine if buttermilk was not available)
1 c Flour
lemon pepper (I like it on my fried chicken; sprinkle what you think is adequate in the flour)
salt
2-3 cups cornflakes, crushed
1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into strips (I did about 7 or 8 strips)
plastic zip-top bag or bowl with lid (for tossing chicken in cornflakes)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle a little salt on both sides of the chicken strips. Dip each strip in buttermilk, in flour (just roll it around and shake off excess), back in buttermilk (lightly), and then in the cornflake mixture, tossing to coat. As with anything I do (it seems), it isn't an exact science; just go with it. Place on foil lined pan (you'll thank me when it's time to do the dishes) and bake for about 20 minutes. 15 may do, but we went for 20 and they were definitely hot enough but still juicy inside. Either way, I was pleased with how quickly they were finished.

The moment of truth came when we bit in, though. Would it be a satisfying substitute?

YES!

No, it's not Mamaw's fried chicken, but it will definitely do for now.

Side note: while preparing my ingredients I received a phone call from my dad. I told him what I was doing and he said "Oh yeah, that will be good. I do it all the time." I asked him if he had any advice and he said "It's even good in powdered sugar."

Huh?

Apparently he got the flour and powdered sugar mixed up once - oops! I'll have to give that recipe a try another time.

Enjoy!

Back in the Kitchen!

2010-02-16T22:10:00.001-06:00

If you saw my last post, you may have noticed the comment about my back hurting. Wow did that turn out to be an understatement! After a few days of battling a strained back muscle (and thanks to many friends and, most of all, my sweet husband), I made it back to work today and actually felt like cooking dinner afterwards! So now that I'm back, I thought I'd share the new recipe we tried this evening, and a few others that are on my list.

Because we weren't sure what I'd feel like after work, it was already determined that the crock pot would be doing the heavy lifting. I had been planning to try Black Bean Soup with Chipotle Chiles from Bon Appétit for a while, so I decided it was time. It takes a little prep work (the veggies need to be chopped and sautéed first to bring out their yumminess), but it is cheap and yummy! I made a few modifications to the recipe:

soaked the beans overnight (the recipe doesn't say to, but I did. Let me know if you try it without doing so)
less bell pepper (I didn't have that much on hand)
less onion (Have I mentioned my husband hates onion? I think I have found a solution, though. Cut the pieces huge [quarter the onion, toss the small inside pieces]; then you get all the flavor but can easily spot them and dispose of them before he finds out!)
replaced some of the water with beef broth (1 carton of beef broth = 4 cups + 3 cups water = 7 cups. Makes for a more robust taste)
replaced yogurt with light sour cream and didn't bother with the tomatoes or cilantro (hubs isn't a fan of those, either...shame)

Anyway, give it a whirl. I think you'll be pleased. And don't forget to wash your hands very well if you touch the chipotle peppers. I failed to do so this morning before putting my contacts in - ouch!

Here's a few more recipes on my must try list:

King Arthur Flour's Guaranteed Fudge Brownies

KAF's Honey Oat Bread

Simple Clam Chowder from Southern Living

More to come later, but that's all for now! Let me know if you try any of them, or if there are any recipes on your must try list.

UPDATE: My words last night on feeling better may have been a bit overstated based on how the night actually went. Apparently I'm still not "well," but I pray I continue to improve. Thanks for your prayers!

And We're Back!

2010-02-11T22:06:00.000-06:00

Wow, been a while since my last post. No worries, everyone. We did not drown in the new tub! But we have been enjoying the new bathroom. It is truly like a little retreat in our own home.

Lots of things to report. Last weekend was our first anniversary!! We can hardly believe it had already been a year. We spent our anniversary relaxing. We said "no!" to the usual chores and granted ourselves permission to take it easy. Our day included sleeping in, lunch at Ocean Zen, an afternoon nap (ridiculous, I know), and at late night run through the McDonald's drive-thru for cheeseburgers, in memory of our visit there after the wedding. So fun! On top of that, Barron surprised me with planning a trip to St. Louis this summer to see Wicked! How thoughtful is he? I've been wanting to see it for a while and have heard great things about it, so we will go see it sometime when it is at the Fabulous Fox Theater.

The next big news is one of my best friends Courtney Goings finally had her baby! Callie Lelia Goings. How cute!! Can't wait to meet you sweet girl.

I think there's more, but it appears that I have pulled my right latissimus dorsus (lat muscle in back) so I'm not thinking very straight as it hurts to even breath. I'll be ok, but please pray if you think about it! Thank you. I'm thankful for Barron who really steps up to take care of me however he can.

Until next time!

The Big Reveal

2010-01-13T22:53:00.000-06:00

Today our bathroom was declared "finished!" Hooray! We can't actually use it until tomorrow night (caulk and grout are still drying), but we were able to take pictures! We are very pleased. The mirrors really finished it off, the shower looks great and the closet - wow. Ok, so it's not that pretty necessarily, but it sure is practical! Enjoy!

The Saga Continues

2010-01-07T20:09:00.001-06:00

I got home after Barron tonight. When I arrived he excitedly began telling me about the bathroom progress today. As we walked back to look he says "there is just one thing..." as I flip on the light. Here is what I saw:

I was a little surprised, but no big deal. There's a little spot out of the picture to the right that is open that allows access to the bed, so we're good. And frankly, I'm thankful they put that up - the bed is dirty enough with it! (Click the picture to really appreciate the fan blades and bed posts poking through the sheet.)

Moving on, here is the vanity again, this time with sinks and faucets.

Here's a crazy one - doors!! In case you didn't realize, we did not have a door to the bathroom or closet before, so we see this as quite the luxury.

And window trim! It looks much more finished already!

Last but certainly not least, the new toilet! We had (well, still have one) really old toilets. I flushed this one for the first time and thought it must be clogged because it sounded like it didn't flush. Nope, it just flushed that fast.

Speaking of toilets, the old toilet in the other bathroom had a small problem: it rocked. My dad fondly referred to it as the "rocking lifesaver" - "lifesaver" coming from the fact that it's an old, small, round toilet. We had put shims in before, but nothing seemed to quite work. Good news: the plumber fixed it while it was here! No more rock in the lifesaver!

Ok, that's all for now! Tomorrow is more trim work and...not sure what else. We like to be surprised.

Progress

2009-12-31T17:28:00.001-06:00

The marble is up and it's looking more and more like a bathroom again. Hooray! While the walls and sides are in, they did forget to pour the vanity top and the end of the half wall wasn't done right, so they'll be back with that next week. But overall, we are pleased. We were watching TV and during commercials we would run back and look at it again because we can hardly believe that's our bathroom!

If you're wondering why the wall is mismatched, it's because the former shower wall went further over, so that wood was torn out and new pieces were stolen from other areas in the room - behind the vanity and the support beam. Thankfully there was enough!

Walls!

Don't worry, this is not in the bathroom, but I wanted to show off one of Barron's projects from the week - "Command Central" as he calls it. And he got to use his new drill!

Vanity...it's all vanity.

2009-12-29T21:39:00.000-06:00

Today the vanity arrived! Sorry the pictures aren't great - it gets dark early and there's no lights in the bathroom right now. But isn't it awesome!?! I love the cute little feet. You can also sort of see the towel and mat color, although it's probably not true due to the lighting.

We decided to get a "John cabinet" as well for a little extra storage and to carry the black to the other side of the room. This will be over the toilet. Yes, it looks a little off-center, but remember the trim isn't on the window yet.

That's all for now!

More Firsts

2009-12-28T23:04:00.000-06:00

We've had quite the year of firsts and Christmas was no different. It was not only our first Christmas being married, but also my first Christmas waking up at home. My family has always spent Christmas at my Mamaw and Papaw's in Mississippi, but this year Barron and I were slated to be with Barron's family on Christmas Day, so it was a new thing to wake up in my own bed. We slept in, read Luke 2, made breakfast, and then opened presents! Santa even came while I was sleeping! Here's a few pics from the day (nothing fancy).

Our first tree, complete with gifts.

Barron with his new drill.

We hope you had a Merry Christmas!

More updates

2009-12-28T22:36:00.000-06:00

Today the bathroom began to look like a bathroom again. *Happy sigh* As you can see, we have a bathtub and at least the outline of a shower. Woohoo!!

Today was also filled with picking out bathroom mats, paint color, closet configurations, and shower doors! It was a busy day, but we were successful. Sorry I didn't take a pic of the bath mats. You'll just have to wait for the big reveal. Stay tuned!

Farewell Pink Tub

2009-12-28T22:05:00.000-06:00

Farewell pink tub; hello new windows! Here's just some of what happened while we were away for Christmas.

Major Demo

2009-12-18T22:00:00.002-06:00

Some of you probably thought yesterday's "demo" was a sham. You were right. Check out what happened today.

Loving that white mold by the window. Goodbye, sneaky leaky window.

Vanity area

That's the bathtub. See its pinky goodness under there?

Bonus: the original wallpaper, we presume*

*Note: We have always assumed the back living area and bedroom were add-ons. However, we have now found a couple indications that we were wrong.

1) when pulling back the carpet we discovered hardwood matching the rest of the house. Crazy.

2) The picture above shows the layers of the walls - wallpaper (which I honestly think is cool), tongue and groove (just like the back room), and Sheetrock. If we went back to the original, we'd have another few inches n the room!

It's amazing - and scary - what you find when ripping apart an old house. Stay tuned for more updates.

Bathroom Pics: Before and After Demo

2009-12-17T22:10:00.001-06:00

Well, here's some before and after pics of the demo. Please forgive the messiness - it's amazing how much junk you can collect in such a small space. We're soooo excited! I'm hoping to post updates throughout the process...but we'll see.

And after Barron ripped everything down. My job was pretty much packing up stuff and moving it into our other bathroom. Getting ready for work tomorrow will be weird; we'll actually have to think where things are!

Closet

All We Want For Christmas Is...A New Bathroom!

2009-12-15T22:42:00.000-06:00

Quick update: We've been planning to have our master bathroom remodeled for a while now, but never did we guess that would come over Christmas break. That's right - remodel begins Friday. We've heard remodels are pretty stressful normally; we decided to up the ante. "Before" pictures have been taken, but I haven't had time to put them on the computer due to all of the things that need to be done before the work begins. So, all that said, say a prayer for us and stay tuned. It's going to get crazy!!

A White Christmas - Dreams Do Come True!

2009-12-05T21:26:00.000-06:00

In honor of our first Christmas together (and a basement filled with wedding decorations), we decided to get a new Christmas tree this year. I have three Christmas trees, but they're quite sparse and woodsy looking - I don't decorate them with anything but lights. And because our decorations were black, silver, and pewter, I decided to go crazy and get a white tree. I debated for a while but Barron was a fan and we had decorations, so hey, why not?

This is as good as it gets this year. My grandmother is storing yet more decorations at her house, so next year expect bigger and badder!

I've also always wanted to decorate my dining room table with the pink glasses my mom had, silver chargers, etc, but never wanted to make the investment that I thought it would take. Then I remember the white dishes left downstairs by an old roommate and voila, it all came together! The green curtains don't really help anything, but it is what it is.

Sorry the pics aren't great - I should use a real camera!

Gotta love those pink glasses!! Arrangement from our wedding, created by my grandmother. She's so talented.

McDonald Nuggets

2009-12-05T21:11:00.001-06:00

Our main reason for visiting Texas this November was not the Riverwalk, but rather our sweet friends, the McDonald's. Scott and Lori came to Springfield when Caleb was just six months old and we have enjoyed being a part of their lives as the kids grow up. Scott performed our wedding back in February, Anna was the flower girl, and Caleb handed out wedding favors. Lori, of course, coordinated all of them. It's amazing to see how much the kids have grown since then. Caleb is playing soccer for the second year and obsessed with all things Lego. Anna love animals (in this case her plastic ones) and is looking less like a baby and more like a little girl. I guess that's a good thing, since they have had a new addition to the family, Abby. It was fun to meet her, although she won't remember it. Guess we'll have to go back!

We had a blast catching up, eating some local favorites (I don't want to remember how many tortilla chips I ate), and playing with the kids. It was a nice reminder of how much work kids are!! Lori and Scott do a great job juggling everything and are great examples of godly parents.

Caleb, Anna and I at Joe Cotton's BBQ - yum!

Anna, Lori, Abby, and me. Abby modeling a bib embroidered by Lori - so fun!

We visited Snoopy's on the water for fresh seafood. And of course we had to get a picture of the Red Barron there!

Scott and Abby...awwww.

Barron reading to Anna. She has finally decided she likes him. No, she loves him.

San Antone

2009-11-15T22:28:00.003-06:00

Barron and I took a little mini-vacation last week to visit some friends in Corpus Christi. On the way we thought we'd check out San Antonio, the Riverwalk, and visit some other friends, Karen and Gerry. It was quite an adventure just driving around San Antonio. Barron was sweet enough to take me to two grocery stores while there - Whole Foods and H.E.B.'s Central Market. Fun! The selection was amazing at Central Market and both had huge selections of bulk foods. Why
doesn't Springfield have anything like that?

Riverwalk

Anyway, back to the Riverwalk. We explored all afternoon, admiring the architecture and enjoying the lovely weather, had some dinner, and then headed out of downtown to meet our friends at The Shops and La Cantera. It's a beautiful outdoor mall and to top it off we discovered it had a recenly opened Paciugo's Gelato so yeah, you can bet we partook of that wonderfulness. My favorite flavor was Mediterranean Sea Salt Caramel. A little salty, a little sweet. Yum. So sad I didn't get pictures of the gelato...or our friends!

The next morning held a trip to Market Square, home to Mi Tierra, a 24-hour Mexican restaurant/bakery that has been around forever. It wasn't the greatest food I've ever had, but it was definitely good and a fun experience. The atmosphere is really what it's all about. We then spent some time exploring the Mexican market. Every vendor pretty much had all the same stuff.

Barron at Mi Tierra

Token Alamo pic

After the Mexican market we headed to the Alamo and then for an afternoon snack over 600 feet in the air at the Tower of the Americas. It was nice to sit, relax, and enjoy the view of the city.

From the top of the Tower of the Americas

Next we headed to Corpus Christi to see The McDonalds...but we'll have to save that for another post.

Crock Pot Yumminess!

2009-10-31T14:57:00.003-05:00

Barron and I cleaned up the rest of the Creamy Crock Pot Chicken today and it reminded me that I need to share this recipe with you! If you're looking for something you can toss in the crock pot and come home to dinner, this is for you. (*disclaimer: it is best with noodles or rice. I suppose you could put rice in the pot too, but it will be mushy. Instant rice doesn't take too long.)

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken
from my Aunt Sherri

4 chicken breasts
1/4 c water
1 pkg Italian salad dressing mix
8 oz cream cheese, low fat, softened (I've used less than 8oz before)
1 can cream of chicken soup (fat free is what I use)

Spray crock with non-stick spray. Spread the chicken along the bottom of the crock. Mix cream cheese, dressing mix, and cream of chicken soup. Cover chicken with mixture (it's pretty thick). Cover that with water (use a little more if you want). Cook on low all day (or high for a shorter time).

Yum. Sorry I don't have a picture, but let's be honest; crock pot meals don't win awards for presentation ;)

As mentioned above, serve over rice or noodles.

Another crock pot favorite of ours is pork loin. I make it with a dry rub, giving it great flavor but keeping it versatile enough to use for bbq sandwiches, pork nachos, soup, etc.

Pork Dry Rub

Pork loin (you could it on butt, roast, whatever, but I try to keep it lower in fat)
Meat tenderizer (like Adolf)
black pepper
seasoning salt
season blend, no salt (like Mrs. Dash)
basil
some flavor of Dirkey grill creations (really most anything will work)
water

Spray the crock with non-stick spray. Sprinkle tenderizer on both sides of meat. Cover it well, but don't over-do it. Place in crock, fat side up.

In a little bowl, mix the rest of the seasonings. I realize I didn't put any measurements - I wasn't given any so I just wing it. Half a teaspoon of everything is a good place to start. Add more of something you especially like. Add more of it all. The only way to screw this up is use too much seasoning salt. The tenderizer is very salty, so you don't want to over-do the salt. Once mixed, sprinkle it over the meat. (And yes, sometimes I do just sprinkle each spice directly on the meat, one at a time. Whatever.)

Add some water to the pot, around the meat. A cup should do it, maybe two.

Cook on low all day. Come home from work and sigh in contentment at how wonderful the house smells. Eat it like it is day one. Get creative the rest of the week. Monday is a great day to make a huge pork loin!

Happy slow-cooking!

Fall Photo Op for Your Kiddos!

2009-10-25T22:25:00.004-05:00

One of our wedding photographers, Sarah Carter, is doing a Fall Photo Op for kids over near Second Baptist. Evening sessions are available Oct 28-31. For all the details, click here. Be sure to check out her other photos - she's a talented gal.

Recipes for Fall

2009-10-25T20:24:00.004-05:00

I LOVE fall. One of my friends said fall is a "perfect" time to have a birthday, and while I hadn't ever thought about it, I would have to agree. Fall is also a perfect time for cooking. I've been playing with some new fall recipes lately and they have been a hit, so I wanted to share them with you.

Made these as a dessert this weekend. Considered icing them, but they were sweet enough without it.

Butterscotch Pumpkin Muffins
1 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1/2 c light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 c canned pumpkin
1/2 c butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 c butterscotch chips
1/2 c chopped pecans, toasted

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. Create well in middle of mixture.
In another bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin, and butter. Stir in butterscotch chips and pecans and pour into the well of dry ingredients.
Fold together just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Spoon batter evenly into greased muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350. (12-15 min for mini-muffins)
*Note - I added the teaspoon of vanilla (because I love it in everything) and omitted 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves.

I had almost a cup of canned pumpkin left, and I woke up Saturday morning with aspirations of pumpkin pancakes and AllRecipes.com did not disappoint.

Pumpkin Pancakes

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite chilies in town is McAlister's. And not the veggie. The all meat, no beans one. YUM. So I found a recipe sounded like it could be close. It called for 4 lbs of chuck roast. 4 lbs! But ooo, it was good! Check out Chunky Beef Chili from Southern Living here.

The last thing we tried this weekend was acorn squash. I'd never had one but it was recommended by FoodieRachel and Pioneer Woman, so I figured we should give it a try. Disclaimer: if you add butter, brown sugar, and a little maple syrup to almost anything, how bad could it be? Exactly. So head on over to Pioneer Woman for her recipe and give it a try. You'll be glad you did!

Heavy Cream Substitute - You're Gonna Love This

2009-10-22T21:37:00.003-05:00

Got recipes that call for whipping cream, yet you can only bring yourself to make them for very special occasions because of all the fat? Make every day a special occasion with this heavy cream substitute!

8 oz low-fat cottage cheese
3 Tablespoons non-fat dried milk

Blend for five minutes and voila!

Now I need to warn you, it's a little more salty than cream, so if your recipe calls for salt, don't add it until giving the final dish a taste.

I have not tried it yet with a sweet dish, but I have tried it in pasta and soup and had great results. Give it a try and let me know how you use it!

Birthday Week!

2009-10-12T22:18:00.008-05:00

So "birthday" is meant to be a day, right? I managed to drag it out at least a week...and you gotta love that! My actual birthday occurred on the same day as Camp Scrap, a huge scrapbooking event at our church, so I spent the evening with about 200 scrapping women (many of whom are some of my favorites - thanks for coming, T)! It was crazy (as always) but fun.

Love these beautiful flowers from the MacPac - what a nice surprise!

Saturday we were up early for a breakfast meeting and then my husband was so sweet to take me to the Ozark Craft Festival! We had a great time walking around with our friends, Jaye and Peter, eating some oh-so-good for your fair food, and admiring the handiwork of the vendors. We didn't buy much, but we did pick up some mums at what I refer to as my "BOO blocks." Aren't they cute?!

Barron's bright idea.

After the craft festival we headed downtown for fondue and Fedora. Yum! And then back home for a movie. It was a perfect day.

Mmmm...cheese... Mmmm...chocolate... And a fun new scarf!

I'm sure some of you are wondering what Barron got me for my birthday. Well, I told him not to get me anything (honestly) because we're preparing to do some remodling at our house, so I figured I'd throw in an extra accessory or two that could be considered my birthday gift. He did, however, make the occassion very special with his thoughtfulness, and that's really all I can ask for.

Other birthday events over the week included lunch with Barron's family, a visit from my dad, lunches with friends and coworkers, and chili and football at the Mac's. It was a wonderful birthday! Thanks to everyone that made it special - I really appreciate it!

Oh, and let me give you a little taste of what I received for my birthday. Can you spot a theme? Mini-muffin pans, pancake mix, pure maple syrup, cupcake stand, Red Velvet cupcake mix, cookie scoop, instant yeast with a measuring scoop (to measure out the equivalent of one packet), Martha Stewart's pumpkin carving kit (random, but fun!), a pink Mizzou hat (yay!) and fleece blanket were among the fun and thoughtful items. I think people must know that when they give me baking tools, they receive baked goods in return. It's the gift that keeps on giving!

Shockingly Overlooked

2009-09-24T21:46:00.004-05:00

For those of you who don't know, my brother Forrest plays football at Mizzou. He's worked his way up over the years and this year he's got a pretty key job - place holder. What's that you ask? Well, you know the guy that holds the ball for the kicker when he kicks PATs or field goals? The one you never notice, yet if he wasn't there, extra points would never been the same again? Yep, that's him! Should something go wrong (heaven forbid!) it's the holder that will have to react instantly and clean up the mess. And since that's the case, Mizzou has picked the right guy, because Forrest is quick in mind and step.

Anyway, if you catch them on TV, he's #88, but if all else fails, just watch for him after every touchdown. Do I sound like a proud sister? Good!

Check out those muscles!

Photo courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Puffins

2009-09-24T21:38:00.007-05:00

Tonight I made puffins, courtesy of Bakerella. YUM! Sadly, I do not have any mini-muffin pans (Gasp!) so mine were not as cute as hers but hey, they tasted good. Easy, tasty, and no slaving over the stove flipping pancakes while everyone else eats! A must try!

photo courtesy of Bakerella

Secrets: Transforming Your Life and Marriage

2009-08-24T22:50:00.007-05:00

This summer I rounded up some girlfriends of mine to do a new women's Bible study called Secrets: Transforming Your Life and Marriage. It's a new Bible study by Kerry Clarensau and seemed like a great topic for someone like me who recently got married. I have to admit I had some reservations at first. My favorite color may be hot pink, but the butterfly on the front made me a little skeptical because I wasn't looking for a fluffy feel-good study; I wanted solid, Biblical principles. Thankfully, that's what I found.

The study is called Secrets: Transforming Your Life and Marriage but it is truly more focused on the life part and just applies that to marriage. Obviously marriage is the most important human relationship we can have, but this book teaches principles that apply to every relationship and most importantly, our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

My favorite chapter was "The Secrets to a Strong Inner Life." Sounds a little new-age-y, but it is filled with Truth to fight against common temptations like doubt, bitterness, insecurity, anxiety, etc. The questions at the end of the chapter are a great self-evaluation and application tool as well.

If you are looking for a study to go through individually, with friends, or even in a more formal study setting, you should check out Secrets: Transforming Your Life and Marriage. I liked the study so much that I am teaching it this fall at Second Baptist, so if you're in the Springfield area and would like to come, let me know. It will be Wednesday nights, 5:45-7pm.

To learn more, visit www.secretsbiblestudy.com. Also, check out Kerry's blog, http://kerryclarensau.blogspot.com and view comments and other testimonies on Facebook, www.facebook.com/secretsbiblestudy.

Pretzel Bread and DIY Cereal Box Magazine Files

2009-08-22T21:28:00.002-05:00

Blimpie has a new Pretzel Bread that Barron has become a fan of, and he suggested we try to make some. I'm always up for a culinary adventure, so I scoured the Internet for a recipe and discovered signature pretzel bread from Two Bites in Suburbia. I never realized pretzels were boiled before baked, but in fact they are. Fascinating! Here's what I came out with. Not perfect, but pretty good -- we made four small buns and this is the remainig lone ranger.

Next up - DIY Magazine Files from cereal boxes. I must admit I semi-stole the idea from a new book called Wallpaper Projects. The book suggests covering the boxes with walpaper scraps. I, however, do not have any wallpaper scraps, nor do I know where in Springfield to find the adorable wallpapers featured in the book, so I opted for scrapbook paper and "peel and stick" laminiate. I think it turned out well!

Cut box to desired shape

Trim paper to fit and glue on all sides. Line inside with same or coordinating paper if you like.

Finished product!

This was a trial box for me, as it was acually too small for magazines, but I'm pleased with how it turned out and I've got a couple larger boxes in the cabinet that I'll be ready for!

We Be Jammin'

2009-08-22T21:26:00.002-05:00

A blog I read regularly (FoodieRachel) had a recipe for Jalapeno Jam and it got me thinking that I should make some with the Garden Salsa peppers we grew this summer. So last Saturday we "jammed", as Barron calls it.

Aren't those little bell peppers cute?!

Sealing them up. Hope it works!

Tada! It worked!

This was my first time canning anything, so I was pretty nervous about it all. Thankfully Barron was there to help, or we wouldn't have been successful. It was so exciting hearing the lids popped, indicating they sealed!

Barron had never had pepper jelly before, so he was skeptical, but he came around after trying it with some cream cheese. Since we were successful on our first attempt, he wanted to make strawberry jam, so we headed to the store for some strawberries and repeated the process. It went more smoothly the second time and we've been enjoying jam all week long! Will I do it again...well, maybe next year when I forget the process.

The Besty: RSS

2009-08-07T17:32:00.001-05:00

Many of you have mentioned "visiting" my blog "from time to time" and enough of you have said it that I feel compelled to share with you a wonderful tidbit of technology: the RSS reader. What is it? Well, my friend Sarah Jo Austin (@sarahjoaustin) described it so well, I'll let her explain it to you:

I use RSS, and you should, too. That is the theme of today’s post, so I’ll be laying the peer pressure on pretty thick.

So what exactly is RSS? Well, it stands for really simple syndication. By using an application called a reader and adding subscriptions from your favorite news sites and blogs (hmm…A Fool of Myself [and Excellent Adventure] comes to mind), the new content from those sites comes to you in your reader. You no longer have to remember all the sites you frequently read, go to them, and hope for new content; if a site has been updated, the new content will appear in your reader. (Come on. Everyone is doing it.)

Still confused? Watch this little video produced by CommonCraft.com to see how you can start using RSS within minutes. I would have made my own video, but I hate reinventing the wheel, and this one is super easy to understand:

Click To Play

To summarize the video, to get started with RSS, you need a reader (e.g. Google Reader, NewsGator, Bloglines, My Yahoo!, etc.). Once you have a reader, add subscriptions to your account by looking for and clicking on the orange RSS logo. That’s it! Just start reading! (I’m going to tell everyone how lame you are for not using RSS!)

Thaks, Sarah!

Here's a screen shot of my RSS reader. I use Google Reader because I already had a gmail address when I signed up - and I'd recommend getting a Google account if you don't have one!

You can see

blogs I follow in the left hand column (which I categorize further by friends/foodie/ministry, etc.)
some of the posts from those blogs in the middle (this is the "home" view)
recommended blogs (based on who I follow already), recently read items, recently starred items (things you want to come back to - great for craft ideas, recipes, etc!) on the right.

If you look closely at the left column again, you'll see some people there - Google Reader allows you to share items with your friends who also use Google Reader. If you see a funny video, click "share" below the post (not shown) and it will be shared with all of those people. You can also add comments about why you shared the item (if you choose) and make comments on what other people share. Very fun! (I envision some of you ladies making a "scrapping" group and sharing ideas amongst yourselves - fun!)

Another added bonus: if you have an iPhone, you can log in and read everything there --a great and productive use of dead time!

Anyway, that's my attempt at making your busy lives easier. Hope you'll try it. Post any questions or concerns you have in the comments section. Happy RSS'ing!

Win prizes from Yeebird!

2009-08-07T08:35:00.004-05:00

My wildly creative friend Rebekah made this fun sleeve for us to put our wedding album in. We'd been carrying it around in a bubble wrap pouch (talk about cool), so Rebekah took it upon herself to make a sleeve as nice as our album. Check it out!

It just so happens that Rebekah is celebrating her 100th blog post with a giveaway! Forgive me for being a little late in the game, but regardless of the contest, her blog is so fun to read. She's always working on a project and having fun with her kids...and she offers basic photoshop tutorials! If you're into scrapping, sewing, or crafting, you'll want to check out Yeebird.

Quick Dinner Idea: Tortilla Pizzas

2009-07-30T22:30:00.004-05:00

Just before leaving work today I saw a friend had a new blog post, so I decided to read it really quick. So glad I did! In it she said she was making tortilla pizzas for dinner. Say what!? I had just been trying to come up with a way to use some leftover chipotle chicken we had, and this sounded like a fun thing to try!

Here's the recipe from The Lucky Laymans:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place some fajita size flour tortillas on a cookie sheet & heat them until they are golden brown & crispy around the edges (normally 8-10 min). You'll need to watch them as they may bubble up a bit & I just prick them with a fork to flatten out the air bubble. After they are brown, just pull them out of the oven & top them with whatever pizza toppings you want. I normally just use a can of pizza sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, & mushrooms. I've also made a white pizza version with alfredo sauce, grilled chicken, spinach, & mozzarella. Once you've filled them full of toppings, just put them back in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is nice & melted. I normally fix 2 pizzas for each of us because the fajita size tortillas are quite small. You could certainly use bigger tortillas--this is just what I normally have on hand.

As I said, we had chipotle chicken, so I used a ranch-garlic sauce (much like Papa Murphy's - mix ranch dressing [1/3-1/2 a cup] with 2-3 cloves of garlic and voila), the chicken, and both mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Some sun dried tomatos, bell peppers, or even spinach would have been nice on there, but it wasn't too shabby anyway. We also used some ham and made a more traditional version with fresh garlic chives and basil. Yum!

We chose to make ours on the grill. We grilled one side, flipped and added toppings and closed the grill to let them melt. Super easy and quick. Sorry I didn't take pics! Try it and share your variations!

Guest Bathroom: Old and New

2009-07-04T15:33:00.003-05:00

One of the lovely wedding gifts we received were some black and white, fleur de lis patterend towels. The second I saw them I loved them. But then I thought "where can I use them?" The solution: repaint the guest bathroom!

But first, some background on our guest bathroom. When I moved into this house, the tile in the bathroom was painted white. And by painted, I mean they took the paint they used on the cabinets and doors and painted over the tile, even the tile that lined the shower! Needless to say, that paint was not going to last long, so even before I settled in, I began scraping. The white paint came off very easily, for obvious reasons, but underneath that layer I found two more layers of paint - and they were the right kind of paint which did not remove easily. A week later, the last of the paint was scraped off and underneath we found this lovely tile creation:

The mermaid.
Notice the one tile that is turned the wrong way. Ugh.

My mom and I debated whether to paint the tile (correctly) again, but we knew that would be quite expensive, so my mom and I thought it would be fun to paint the bathroom walls orange and use all of the random Mediterranean accessories I collected while in Europe. So here is the old bathroom.

And here's the new bathroom. We decided to go monochromatic to match the tile and incorporate the black and white towels and accessories.

The new shower curtain.

The old mermaid.

With the curtain open. You can see our new towels in the basket on top of the shelf.

Here's the color on both sides of the closet door. Like our little monogram? Dan Mac made that for us.

And that's that. We may still get new pulls for the vanity and such, but I'm ready to not think about it for a while. Barron really likes it a lot better. He was never a big fan of the orange. Thanks to our friend Amy who helped get it painted quickly!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2009-06-30T22:26:00.001-05:00

Thanks to CarlaMac, we have a garden this year. It took a lot of work getting all of the ivy dug out of this bed, but it was worth it. The raised bed is perfect for a small garden and it has thankfully been very easy to maintain (in part, thanks to the soaker hose and a watering timer). Here's a pic of the garden on June 9:

And here's a pic of it today!

Tonight I was able to pick our first batch of green beans! Yum! So excited to cook these! I realize it's not much, but I was told if you pick them early they will grow more, and you can bet I am down for that!

#1 Daughter to #1 Daddy

2009-06-21T14:34:00.004-05:00

Wanted to say Happy Father's Day to my wonderful dad. I have so many memories of him over the years. He bought me my first doll (Strawberry Shortcake) and let me sing my lungs out while riding in my car seat (to which he attributes my current stint in the 2ndEleven band). He taught me how to ride a bike and how to swim. Later he taught me how to drive and gave me "special" speed limits. He let me go to London for a semester and slept poorly the entire time. He's moved me from place to place over the years...and then rearranged my current house at least three times. He reminded me that men say stupid things sometimes and we have to forgive them (this was after a huge blowup with Barron, prior to our dating...say what!?!?! Who's dad are you, anyway!?). And then he gave me away this February (sometimes I think gladly! haha!) at a beautiful wedding. We have many more memories to make, God willing, but I have been so blessed to have such a wonderful Dad. I love you, Daddy!

Doh! (Dough!)

2009-06-14T22:31:00.003-05:00

Our old friend Nate is in town from D.C. and tonight I thought it would be fun to make pizza for dinner. Nate is a very hands-on kind of guy, so I thought he would find it fun to make the pizzas himself. He was excited to help - so excited that first we had to watch that Visa commercial with the world's best pizza spinner for inspiration. I began to wonder if this was such a great idea, but all in all, it turned out ok...no dough on the floor! Here's some pics of the adventure. They did great!

Here we go!

Wow, we may have an up and coming dough-throwing champion!

Can you see why I was scared?

Nate's pizza.
Ready for grilling.Um, well, we got the first one a little toasty.

Finished product - yum!!!

My First Quiche

2009-06-01T22:59:00.001-05:00

I was asked to make a quiche for my friend Amanda's wedding shower this weekend. The lady who called to ask said she heard I was a good cook. Ack! Sure, I'm not too shabby at the things I do well, but that's a lot of pressure for something new. But alas, I did know quiche was simple, so I decided to up the ante and make mini crustless quiche. (or is it quiches?) Here we go: Crustless Bacon and Egg Quiche. The nice thing about this recipe for translating it to minis is that all but the bacon and cheese is mixed in the blender, making it easy to pour into the mini cups. Sweet! Then you just sprinkle some cheese and bacon on each, pat it in just a little and voila! That's about as easy as it gets if you're going mini. Mini is cute, but mini can be annoying!

Before baking

After baking (not quite as cute as I had imagined)

Nothing like a pretty platter to punch up the cuteness a tad.

Overall, they tasted good and were mini. What more can you ask for?

We Be Grillin'

2009-06-01T22:16:00.003-05:00

It's been a long process, but we finally bought a grill! I have wanted one for a long time but wanted Barron to want one to, or else I'd be the only one doing the cooking on it! We looked at some and I could tell Barron wasn't quite sure, so I didn't say much about it unless we were in the vicinity of grills. Before long he got in on the hunt and one day we came home and he said "Ya know, I am now on the grill bandwagon." Ha! Sweet! So after more shopping, we got one! I thought I'd document our first meal on it for those of you interested: potatoes, salmon, and scalloped zucchini packets.

Barron with the grill.

From left to right: potatoes, salmon, and scalloped zucchini packets.

Dumb shot of us - yes, we're dorks.

Scalloped zucchini packets - yum! Don't forget to use non-stick foil. You'll be glad you did.

Just don't forget they're hot...really hot.

Guess we'll have to have some parties now! Please share if you have any favorite grilling recipes. Next up: grilled buffalo chicken sandwiches - yum!

Roll, Tide, Roll

2009-05-25T22:34:00.001-05:00

This weekend we headed South to visit my Mamaw in Mississippi and attend the wedding of our friends, Anna and Ryan in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We have had a fun time getting to know them over the last nine months or so and were so glad we were able to be there for their big day! Everything was beautiful - way to go, guys, you made it!

Cutting the cake

Anna got him good!!

So excited to have you up here for good, Anna!

Who Knew I Was Such a Tree Hugger?

2009-05-13T21:14:00.006-05:00

Last night I was cooking dinner and heard some voices in the back yard. It's not uncommon to hear neighbors, but it was obviously a lot of men's voices. I went to check it out and there were men in yellow reflective suits in the back yard, looking at the power lines. Apparently one of our trees was too close to the lines, so they decided to trim it up. I can understand that - last Friday during the big storm power went out on our block thanks to a neighbor's tree that fell on the line. We don't want our trees to be next problem. The men leave, but I had a suspicious feeling they'll be back.

Sure enough, from the front of the house comes the sound of a large truck and suddenly the back yard is filled with at least seven men, some from Asplundh, some from City Utilities. Apparently they had no idea we were home, or did not care to acknowledge us if we were. Most stood around in a circle while one climbed the tree and began chopping away. We had the windows open, but the blinds drawn, so they did not realize we could hear everything they said.

Having had the same thing done after the ice storm, I begin to get a bit upset. "Trim" is not in their vocabulary, and I informed Barron of such, but he was doubtful they would cut much off. Let it be noted that I successfully submitted to my husband in his decision not to go out and talk to the guys - I stayed in the kitchen, fuming, but quiet.

Let the chainsaw begin. It was unreal how much they cut off, as evidenced by what was laying in the yard:

But the worst part, by far, was what happened last. The chainsaw had stopped, and the destruction seemed to be over, when one guy yelled "Aren't ya gonna top it? Top it!" You would have thought they were playing drinking games, but no, they were "trimming" our tree!! But wait - doesn't City Utilities have a policy against tree topping? Aren't they part of Tree Line USA, which recognizes utility providers for quality tree care? Supposedly, but with at least two City Utilities employees standing there watching (see the backs of their jackets), this is what our tree looks like now:

According to CU's document on tree management,

"Topping or rounding over the tree’s canopy is discouraged because this practice severely damages trees and encourages rapid re-growth back into facilities. When these cuts are repeated over time trees are weakened, their food stores are depleted, and their ability to resist insects, diseases, and failure is decreased."

Barron was shocked, and pretty hot as well...and still is. We intend to send an official complaint letter (and pictuers) to CU and to Tree Line USA. As I said already, I understand the need to trim trees around power lines, but, even by CU's official standards, what happened was not and is not acceptable.

Thanks for letting me vent - know anyone else who has had trouble like this?

UPDATE: Since my original post, City Utilities has contacted Barron and is going to investigate our complaint. Hooray! Thank you.

UPDATE 6/1/09: City Utilities has been out to see the tree and called it a "totem pole." They offered to come in, take it out, and give us a voucher to purchase a new tree. Sweet! It's a win-win -- they won't have to come "trim" the current tree any longer, and we will pick a smaller tree that won't grow as high. Thank you, City Utilities!

The Besty: Strawberry Pie

2009-05-12T22:17:00.006-05:00

Summer is coming, the strawberries are ripe, and it's time for a yummy dessert!

Emily's Strawberry Pie
Crust: (or buy a quality frozen one...this pie is so good, it won't matter!)
1 stick of butter
4 TBSP powder sugar
1 c flour
Melt butter and mix with sugar and flour. Press in pie plate. Pierce with fork a few times. Cook at 400 til brown.

Filling:
1 c sugar
4 TBSP corn starch
pinch of salt
1 c water
Strawberry Jell-O (small package)
3 cups sliced strawberries (cups, not pounds. I've done pounds before. Whoa.)

Dissolve corn starch in water. Cook first four ingredients until clear and thickened. Stir in Strawberry Jello. Add sliced strawberries. Put in refrigerator til solid and cool (this takes a while, so don't rush it!) Oh, and top with whipped cream/cool whip!

Very refreshing on a hot day. If you try it, let me know what you think. And thanks to my pal Emily for giving me this recipe years ago.

Pic note - didn't have any better pics of the pie, but here's some of the old American Idol gang chowing down. Aww, Andy.

A Day at The City

2009-05-04T23:03:00.002-05:00

Sunday we went with my dad, @hicknews, do "The City." Of course we mean Silver Dollar City. It is one of my dad's favorite places in the world and it was the last day of World Fest, so off we went to see the Chinese Monks (acrobats). It wasn't supposed to rain all day long, but in true Missouri fashion, it did, and it was cold. I hate to admit it, but I was not a happy camper. Barron tried to cheer me up by reminding me that it was warmer than when we come at Christmas-time. I informed him that while that was a true statement, I try to dress warmer in the winter. Ugh.

So we get there and head straight down the hill to get into the 2pm show. And wouldn't you know, the line is already down to the pork rind stand (which is a long way down for those of you not familiar with The City). I was again discouraged that we wouldn't get to see the show and have to stand in the cold rain until the 4 o'clock show or just leave without seeing it at all. Annoying. We inched closer to the front and finally we are standing at the cut-off spot, praying they will take just a couple more in. Praise the Lord, they did, and we were able to see the show! It sounds so silly now, but I can't tell you how much better my mood got once I was in a dry, warm place. Ahhhh.

After the show were were supposed to meet my dad at the candy shop, so we headed up the middle of the park that direction. But of course we had to pass the bakery on the way and wow, it smelled amazing, so we went in. They had just taken some Cinnamon Loafs out of the oven so I talked my sweet husband into getting one. Here is a pic of our cinnamon loaf ecstasy. (And yes, we did save a piece for Dad.)

And last but not least, Barron at the taffy shop. (The "candy" shop my dad was referring to, although it was the incorrect term. The candy shop is by the funnel cakes, dad. Duh.)

Sur la Table

2009-05-04T22:13:00.004-05:00

My Mamaw and Papaw gave us a gorgeous piece of Italian pottery as a wedding gift, and amazingly the arrangement my mom made for the dining room table years ago fits in it perfectly (and looks pretty great too, if I do say so myself). So I thought I'd post a picture so Mamaw (and you) could see. If you are interested, you can check out more of this pottery at http://fortunatainc.com/.

And while we're at it, why not show off my new dishes and place mats? How fun!?

You Go Girl! (I had to say that!)

2009-04-28T17:23:00.001-05:00

I may be way behind on this, but I just saw Miss California's interview on the Today Show and wanted to commend her for taking a stand on Truth. I love how she tells Matt Lauer that she wouldn't be on the show if she'd won, and that she knows she has a purpose. Amen! Check it out for yourself.

The Besty by Betsy: Garlic Butter

2009-04-27T20:34:00.004-05:00

I'm often trying new things - recipes, restaurants, products, etc. - so I thought I'd share them on the blog. And of course I need a catchy name, so Barron recommended "Besty," how my name often gets misspelled.

I can't promise if they will be the absolute best, but if you know of something better, I'd love to try it and compare, so don't hesitate to share!!

On to the first Besty: Garlic Butter

The other night I was going to make some garlic bread, but wanted something better than just the usual butter with garlic salt on top. So after a short Google search I found this recipe for Garlic Butter. YUM!

I made quite a bit because I read it is also good on steak and salmon, so tonight we gave it a whirl and wow, it was awesome! It was pouring, so I sauteed the salmon in butter on the stove, but I'm sure it would be great on the grill as well.

So there you have it - yummy garlic butter. And you can freeze the stuff, too, so make lots!

I Think We Started Something

2009-03-31T22:37:00.007-05:00

Apparently 2009 is the year to get married around here - who knew!? Good thing we got married in February, lest we have to compete with the dates of many other couples! We now have six weddings to go to this summer, and I'm waiting to hear a date for #7. Ack!! And I thought by the time I got married it would be a wave of baby showers. Not so!

I'm excited so many of our friends get to experience the blessing of marriage. It is awesome. Congrats to Allie and Andrew, John and Amanda, Jake and Cassie, George and Maggie, Andrew and Angie, Sarah and Jeremy, Jeff and Kim. Did I miss anyone?

Sure glad we saved those gift bags! Ooo, and we'll get lots of cake! Mmmm...

So How's Married Life?

2009-03-19T21:09:00.002-05:00

In this new stage of life, the question we are most asked is "how's married life." We laugh and have fun making up sarcastic responses, but I saw this and thought it might provide answers for those who truly want to know.

This was a facebook meme to begin with, but I stole it for the blog.

How long have you been together?
We began dating back in May and we've been married a little more than five weeks.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Ha! Four and a half years, I believe?

Who asked who out?
Barron asked me out of the blue after I had just jumped on his case for a list of things...go figure.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
His. Mine's too busy at MU.

Do you have any children together?
Nope - and that's how we like it for now.

What about pets?
Nope - and that's how we like it.

Did you go to the same school?
Yes, Missouri State.

Who is the most sensitive?
I guess me...

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Hmm, hard to say. It will probably be Ziggie's in the near future, since we recently won a bunch of gift certificates there. Ha! Breakfast anyone?

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Cancun. Oh I miss it.

Who has the craziest exes?
Neither of us have any exes...but we'll say Barron for fun.

Who has the worst temper?
I am obviously more outspoken, but he does have red hair ;)

Who does the cooking?
That would be me. But Barron is good help when I ask.

Who is more social?
As if I need to answer that.

Who is the neat freak?
We both put things back in the right place and keep the place pretty neat. Although I am the one who gets really frustrated by clutter, and Barron is quickly learning to jump up and help when those moods hit.

Who is the most stubborn?
That's hard to say - when it comes to something petty like what color the couch in the back room is (green), we choose to agree to disagree.

Who hogs the bed?
Barron would have said me during the first couple weeks, but it was only because it was so cold in the house. As the weather warms up, we're pretty even.

Who wakes up earlier?
Again, HA. That'd be me.

Where was your first date?
Unofficially, Lowes to purchase replacement parts for the drain trap after a roommate dropped a ring down the drain.
Officially, Ocean Zen where Barron almost choked on a piece of sushi and then to Art Walk.

Who has the bigger family?
We're about even.

Do you get flowers often?
Well, the first flower that I was supposed to get was destroyed by a rain storm...so I got a picture of a flower.

How long did it take to get serious?
Not long, because I told him before saying yes, if he wasn't thinking long term, there was no way I'd go out with him.

Who sings better?
I'd have to say me, unless it's at Rock Band - Barron's pretty amazing at that!

Who does the laundry?
We both do....and he's even better about actually putting it away.

Who’s better with the computer?
That's a laughable question.

Who drives when you are together?
Barron, usually.

Who picks where you go to dinner?
The coupons pick where we go to dinner...and we've got some good ones!

Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong?
Wrong? Neither of us are ever wrong. :)

Who wears the pants in the relationship?
He does...but we both know we have to make an effort to fulfill our God-given roles and overcome our personalities.

Who has more tattoos?
Neither of us have any, and I do believe it will stay that way!

Who eats more sweets?
Um, Barron - he has a serious sweet tooth.

Who cries more?
I suppose me, but again, that's still very minimal.

Winding Welcome

2009-03-14T18:25:00.001-05:00

We arrived home after a crazy travel day to a very thoughtful welcome from Carla and Amy (and I hear Diego helped with the cookies).

Click the picture to see a larger image.

We also arrived home to THIS:

And this!

So if you're wondering why I hadn't posted in a while, well, now you know!! I still spend most weekends trying to put away things that got laid aside for "later." People say "It's ok, you're still in transition." Hmmm, wonder how long I can use that excuse?

The Royal Feast

2009-03-14T17:59:00.001-05:00

One of the most amazing things about The Royal was the food. We tried so many things that we never would have at home, and every meal - even breakfast - looked like it came from Ocean Zen. We finally decided to throw out our inhibitions and start photographing our meals just so you could see. The one we didn't get which we hate was the Almond Foam with a tempura spoon...that's right, you ate it with a spoon of tempura. Yum.

Filet. The white stuff you can't see well is mashed potatoes.

Salmon with more mashed potatoes.

Cheesecake. In all honesty, the cheesecake there isn't good, but it sure is pretty!

Shrimp on something I can't remember with...mashed potatoes! The mashed potatoes were everywhere, they were amazing, and they were an inepensive way of holding all of the "decorations" up. Brilliant!! I have got to try that.

Royal-ty

2009-03-14T17:49:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the huge delay! For some reason I thought I had posted honeymoon pics on here! But alas, I failed. Better late than never?

We went to Cancun on our honeymoon and stayed at The Royal. It looked awesome on the website, but it's fairly new, so we wondered if it would live up to the pictures, but we are pleased to report that the pictures do not do it justice! It was a perfect place to relax and recover from all of the wedding planning.

So, want to see some pics? Yeah, that's what you're here for, I know.

Our suite - wow. They even had a "Pillow Menu" with six different options to choose from.

View from our balcony on the 8th floor. How can you not look at the ocean and still put God in a box?

Me by the sea.

Awwww.

Next post: The food. Prepare to be amazed.

Sneak Peek

2009-02-14T23:19:00.003-06:00

Well, the big day has finally come and gone and now we're married! Our honeymoon was like a dream, but more on that later.

My photographer allowed a mutual friend of ours (and budding photographer) Sarah Carter to be her assistant at the wedding and I just saw tonight that she posted a few shots. VERY cool! You can see them at her website, CarterPhotos.

More later!

Snow Day!

2009-01-27T22:58:00.003-06:00

Well praise the Lord, the usual January ice storm has come and not the week of the wedding. It started coming down Monday afternoon and just recently stopped. Thanks to that, we had today off of work, and just heard that we have tomorrow off too! Woot!

Barron braved the roads and brought his computer/DVR and speakers over, so he spent the afternoon setting those up while I did some more little things for the wedding, laundry, even did some packing for the honeymoon! Woohoo!

Around 6:30 a UPS truck slowed down in front of the house. A few minutes later, the deliveryman is running across the lawn with two huge boxes - wedding presents! Boy did we feel bad. I apologized and asked how many more stops he had - thankfully we were the last one.

Now we get to go dig Barron's car out of the latest wave of weather so he can drive home...but hey, only 10 more days of that!!

Showered With Love

2009-01-11T22:02:00.002-06:00

Today was such a blessing. Some sweet ladies threw us a beautiful shower today, complete with piggies in a blanket, mini cupcakes with pink icing, and chocolate covered Oreos with our monogram on them. How fun and how thoughtful!

Thank you to all who attended. It was fun to see so many friends at once. You blessed us with many things that we will use as we begin our life together. I'll be sure to keep Barron well fed with all of the new kitchen stuff!

We'll add some pictures later, but wanted to say a quick thank you. And a special thank you to those wonderful women - CarlaMac, Paula V, Amanda B (aka Wanda - ha), Angie W, Ruth M, "Virg" G...hope I didn't forget anyone!

We feel so loved!!

Together at Last

2009-01-01T15:56:00.000-06:00

It's just funny how God works things out sometimes. Maid of Honor Amy was supposed to come down on New Years Eve and hang out for the weekend. I haven't seen her since July, and we were excited to get to spend some time together before the wedding weekend. But plans changed and she had to come down the Saturday after Christmas. That also meant she could come to 2ndEleven. Sweet.

Little did I know that Bridesmaid Courtney had also made a surprise trip to Springfield! No way!!! So in a crazy turn of events, I had all of my bridesmaids together before the wedding! I never imagined that would happen, so of course we took a few minutes to take some pictures. Thank you God for making that happen!

Can I Hit (the) Target?

2008-12-31T19:15:00.001-06:00

We had a great time in Mississippi over Christmas with my mom's side of the family. It was honestly non-stop eating and gift opening, but no complaints here (well, until I stepped on the scale upon returning home...). We received quite a few wedding gifts from familywhile there and included was the infamous KitchenAid mixer I have denied myself until this blissful occasion. Wahoo!!

Fast forward to the day after Christmas.

We arrive home from Mississippi about 6:30pm, unload the car, and begin putting things away. You know I'm opening up that mixer! Barron cuts the tape for me and we carefully lift it out of the box. "Aahhhh."

But wait! What are those scratches? And is that icing on the side? Has it been USED?! I look in horror at Barron. This is not right! It must go back. So we carefully re-pack it and debate when the best time is for me to go exchange it...because it's getting done sooner than later! Being the wonderful man he is, he says "Let's go now! They're still open!"

"OK!!"

As we drive I have a suspicion that this exchange may not be as easy as swapping them out, but Barron is upbeat about it and we head to Target. Thankfully the line of the day had died down and we walked right up to the counter and told the gal that the mixer had been used and we'd like to exchange it.

And she gives us that look. You know - the look that says "I know you're not going to like what I'm about to say, but..."

They "couldn't" exchange it without a receipt or registry of some kind. Say what!? It's not like we got the wrong color. It's used! (And has a Target shipping label on the side, so it's obviously from Target.)

So I call my Aunt Sherri who proceeds to give me her number for them to look up. We finally find it (I had a digit wrong at first) and the gal puts the money on a gift card and we head back to pick out a new one. Hooray!

But wait.

We get to the mixer and it's almost $30 more than what the gift card she gave us is worth. Now how does that work? So we take the new mixer back to her and explain the problem. She seems confused and we have to call Aunt Sherri back again to get the number again so Target girl can look up the account once more. She then proceeds to tell us that she can fix the problem, but we'll have to pay around $17 because my Aunt had some rewards dollars on the ticket. Huh?

And then my knight stepped in. Barron kindly but firmly explains that we brought in a used item that had been sold as new and we want to exchange it for the exact same thing. It has been paid for in full, and thus we do not owe her any money. The light bulb went on, so she got the manager over there to help her figure out the computer and we walked out with our new mixer! Hooray! And you can bet I have already used it.

Thank you Barron for fighting for me and my mixer! I'll have to make you some cookies or something.

Moral of the story: Even if it's on the registry, please include a gift receipt. Target is a crazy place!

Doorstep Surprise!

2008-12-31T18:43:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago (yes, I'm a little slow on the posting) we arrived at my house to discover a couple packages on the porch. One I was expecting - it was a last minute Christmas gift. But we were both confused as to what the other would be. (You can imagine the "Did you order something?" going around.) Then it hit me - it was our first wedding present!!!

(Ok, technically Granna gave us our first one, but she said we couldn't open it yet, thus it was disqualified.)

Anyway, I thought you'd like to see the joy that ensued when I discovered what it was! Nothing like a new saucepan to get me excited! Ha!

Thanks to the Mays in Mississippi!

Maid of Honor - Amy Schreiber

2008-12-09T22:11:00.005-06:00

Oh Amy - while the other girls have been around longer, poor Amy had to put up with more Barron drama than any friend should. Amy and I met a her college roommate's wedding. I was helping the family with the reception and they introduced us and said she was moving to Springfield to do her student teaching. We immediately hit it off and were pretty inseparable once she moved to town. Amy is my kind of girl - she is HILARIOUS, loves football, is totally sarcastic, and gets things done. God could not have put her in my life at a better time. While there was much more to our friendship than Barron drama, she stood by me and encouraged me through all of it...she even volunteered to ignore him too...if I wanted her to. We watched football games, conquered Guitar Hero, and hosted American Idol and "Du ba du ba da dance dance dance..." (So You Think You Can Dance) parties.

In March 2008 she told me she was looking into moving back to her home state of Nebraska to teach. NOOOOOO!!!! I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I knew God would provide. Boy was I surprised (as was she) when His provision was Barron! In God's perfect timing, Amy and I had a long weekend over Memorial Day to hang out in Branson before she left. I'll include a picture of what we did most of the weekend - NOTHING. It rained a lot that weekend, so we holed up in our room and just chilled. It also happened to be the weekend before Barron and I became "official." Crazy.

It was neat to watch both Amy and I grow in our faith over the first couple years of our friendship. Her move to Nebraska took a step of faith for her and I know it has been hard, but it was so encouraging to watch her be obedient to what the Lord called her to. Maybe He just had her here in Springfield to put up with me until Barron decided he could do the job. Ha! Whatever His purpose, I am so blessed to have her in my life and look forward to many more years of friendship.

Best Man - Justin Pedigo

2008-12-09T22:05:00.000-06:00

Justin has been one of my best friends for over a decade. He has led me into trouble more times than I can remember. Most notable is probably the infamous canoe trip of '98 with our friend Jeremy that resulted in the loss of a canoe, some clothing, and a package of Double Stuf Oreo's :( I spent many Saturday nights at Justin's house and I think he is still the only person with whom I have shared a bed; I'm sure that only further strengthened our friendship. Justin has always been a close confidant and I'm sure it will continue as we go through new stages of life. I still can't believe that he's a father. Congratulations to both of you, Justin and Ashlynne.

Bridesmaid - Courtney Goings

2008-12-09T21:29:00.005-06:00

Court and I began our friendship in an interesting way. I came to Springfield for college and was trying to find a church. Little did I know that Second was "expecting" me. The college minister basically told Courtney to welcome me, so she did all she could. I remember going home that day not sure if she was fake or not. She remembers my carabiner that I carried my keys on. I explained to her very matter-of-factly that the carabiner was how I kept up with my keys, yada yada. Yes, I'm a dork.

It turns out that Second was where God wanted me to be for my home church, so I quickly got involved there. [Side note: if I hadn't stayed at Second, would I have ever met Barron? Hmm...nice job Court!] That summer, JD asked me to be an intern the next year with the college ministry, along with Courtney. Honestly, I was less than thrilled and skeptical of how it would turn out. Little did I know that she would end up being one of my best friends. Maybe that's what happens when you're stuck in your recreation closet/soda storage "office" for hours at a time.

Here we are, seven years later, and Courtney is finally getting her prayers answered for me to get married to a godly man. Courtney now lives in Mexico where she and her husband Preston and missionaries. But she hasn't let the distance erode our friendship. It is hard on her being away for this special time, but she does everything she can to help. She is my go-to girl when I need help researching something on the web but can't seem to find the time to do it.

When I think of Courtney, I think of singing The Cranberries "Zombie" at the top of our lungs in her Couger. I think of Tom Petty. I think of her getting sick of shifting up and down the hills in Arkansas and coaxing her car to continue without doing so. And I think of all the times we shared a bed on retreats/sleepovers/mission trips, etc and somehow always ended up right in the middle of the bed. Must have been cold.

I am so thankful for Court's friendship throughout all that has come over the years. She is a most loyal friend and I am grateful that she is able to cross the border to be in our wedding. (And Preston, too.)

Groomsman - Chris Austin

2008-12-09T21:15:00.000-06:00

My friendship with Chris started in high school. The first time we met was at homecoming when my "date" left in the first few minutes of the dance and never came back. Chris had sympathy with me and made it a point to talk to me so I did not feel completely alone. Just a few months later, Chris came to visit Sunday School at Second Baptist and we have been friends since. I spent many late nights with Chris in high school and college, whether it involved just hanging out in his basement until 3am or helping him to bring some grand idea to fruition. Though Chris was once almost considered a felon, I still consider him one of my best friends. Since Betsy and Chris' wife, Sarah, have been good friends for quite some time, I'm sure our friendships will continue to grow as we enter new stages of life.

Bridesmaid - Tammi Hamilton

2008-12-09T21:07:00.004-06:00

Tammi (aka Bob) has been a friend of mine since college. I first remember her from attending a Bible study with Courtney that was mostly the "Marshfield girls." I don't really remember exactly when we began getting to know each other better, but sometime in the later years of college Tammi would come over right when she got out of class and we would take off for some sort of adventure (usually shopping). Often we didn't buy anything, but it sure was fun! (Ok, "often" might be a little too generous, but...)

Everyone needs a friend like Tammi. She's a blast to hang out with, and she is one of the most generous people I know (along with her husband, Gary -- he'll be the guy in the pink tie at the wedding). Tammi has been with me through some tough stuff in life, and even came with Courtney all the way to Mississippi for my mom's funeral. Being my only bridesmaid that is in town, she's been overworked and underpaid at this job, but I don't know what I'd do without her. Love you Bob!!

(We believe that "Bob" came from Courtney...no idea why Tammi and I use it now.)

Groomsman - Forrest Shock

2008-12-09T20:33:00.011-06:00

Based on the name you can probably guess that this is my (Betsy) brother. Forrest is five years younger and attends the University of Missouri, where he plays football for the Tigers. It was rough on me when he chose to go to Mizzou (having grown up a Jayhawk fan) but I have sucked it up and chosen to support him (and the team...but only the football team). What can I say - I love him. I wish he was around more often, because he is one of the most fun people you'll ever meet. Speaking of meeting, I suppose those of you who have heard a lot about Forrest but never met him can do so at the wedding. He WILL be there (he'd better!!).

Other than that, you can catch him at the Alamo Bowl Dec 29th. He's #88.

Shot At The Park

2008-11-30T21:38:00.000-06:00

We finally have proofs back on our engagement pics! Cary Bates, our photographer, was kind enough to allow us to post some on the blog for you to see. She did a great job and was fun to work with. Check out her we bsite to see some of her other work! And now for the pics.

No Time To Be Witty!

2008-11-25T16:50:00.004-06:00

I have not posted in a while, honestly out of sheer exhaustion! This wedding planning is hard work! I praise the Lord for new mercies (and details) every day and for the wonderful people He has placed in our lives to help. I believe He has provided an expert in every area! Isn't He amazing?

Thanks to some of my wonderful gals who devoted one of their evenings to helping address invitation. It was a fun evening, despite the hours of writing.

Last night Barron, who is admittedly penmanship-challenged, stamped the return address on each and every envelope. Sweet, isn't he?

Tonight: postage!

Hopefully the invitations will arrive on time and we can get them in the mail soon after Thanksgiving. Until then, I plan to enjoy the time off of work!

Other things in the works: flowers, reception decorations, reception layout, tux measurements (shout out to my brother Forrest who is the first to get his measurements--way to go!), and oh yes, more cheesecake testing. Rough job, but we want to be sure that you, our guests, have the best cheesecake possible. Speaking of cheesecake, I'd better go pick it up! More later!

100 Days To Go!

2008-10-29T21:19:00.000-05:00

Today marks 100 days until we get married! Yea!

Last night we took our engagement pictures at Nathanael Greene Park. Barron wasn't super excited about starring in a photo shoot, but in the end I think he had fun. Our photographer, Cary Bates, was easy to work with and we're looking forward to seeing how the pics came out. Maybe she'll let me post some. I thought it would be fun to carve a pumpkin to use in our pics, so Monday night I gave it a whirl. I was fairly pleased with the outcome. Thought you'd like to see too!

Things in the wedding planning world are going well. Our biggest drama so far is which cheesecake to get. We're still sampling...rough job. :) We're waiting to see what God would have us do there -- He's been so thorough with all of the details so far!

Messes of Dresses

2008-10-23T08:34:00.001-05:00

The bridesmaid dress decision has finally been made and dresses have been ordered! Wahoo! No thanks to Verizon for making it practically impossible to talk to Amy in Nebraska.

The craziest part of it all was not making the decision, however, but getting them ordered. I called David's Bridal to ask the best method of ordering, because Amy needs hers in Nebraska. The gal assured me that I could order over the phone at any time and that they would take the addresses of each girl and mail the dresses to them individually. (Obviously that wouldn't work with Courtney.) Great. But Barron and I are heading to church and don't have much time, so I decide to just run by the store after church.

I get there and the gal starts my order and then looks at me and says "Did I just call you?"

"Um, I don't believe so, no."

"Huh...then I must have been getting ready to."

(weird)

So I proceed to order the dresses. I explain what I need to do as far as shipping a dress to Nebraska and she has no idea how they do that. (What!?) She asks another gal. No idea. The manager comes out and says "they are all shipped here, then you pay us to ship it to her." Oh brother. Ok, whatever.

Then the gal helping me makes me nervous asking if they said they could get them in time. "Um, you didn't indicate that you couldn't." But of course I have to pay for them before they give an availability date. Thankfully it's December 3rd. Whew--that's a month before my dress is supposed to be in. Sweet.

But it's not over yet. She then gives me that weird look again and says "I think your dress is here."

(Say what!?)

Sure enough, it is! Crazy!

Then begins the adventure of trying to explain to her that my fiance is in the car so I need to either have it wrapped up really well or come back and get it. She agrees to wrap it and brings it out in a clear plastic bag. Huh? So again, I explain that I need it wrapped in something else and she says "no problem!" As she's putting it in another bag she looks at me and says "oh, so you're fiance is in the car?"

(Hello, where have you been?)

So anyway, thank you God for getting my dress here then, because boy that would have made me nervous. And thanks for keeping me from having to go there any more times than I have to!

The Long and Short of It.

2008-10-14T21:02:00.001-05:00

Tonight Tammi and I went shopping for bridesmaid dresses and oh what an adventure it was. We started the evening off with Sushi To-Go-Go from Ocean Zen. Yum! Then it was off to the mall in search of a non-bridesmaid-y dress. Unfortunately there were none to be found that fit what we were looking for. Boo.

Off to David's Bridal.

We had a couple of short dresses in mind that we'd seen online that we were anxious to try--and they had our sizes! Walking out of the dressing room, you would have thought we had two different dresses on. Tammi is probably 10-12 inches shorter than me. So what was supposed to be knee-length was tea-length on her and above-the-knee on me (which makes me look like a doll). No good. So we went back out there (in the dresses) in hopes to find something different. Ten dresses later, we are loving the long dress. What! I had gone over it a lot in my mind and was sure I wanted short, but after seeing them and knowing the timing of the wedding, long is the way to go. Here is Tammi in our two pics (they will be black). And hey, with our great photography skills, you can see the back of both of them as well! (That was pure luck.)

No pics of me in dresses--both of mine were too big, so rather than make me look small, I looked more like I was wearing a sack...but in the right size, they'd be nice (the strapless one is my personal fav). We we'll see what the gals decide, but we have to decide soon!

The Ring

2008-10-11T19:39:00.001-05:00

Saturday after Barron proposed we went ring shopping. Yea! We had a lunch scheduled east of Springfield, so we prayed the Lord would show us which ring to buy and headed to Justice Jewelers. It was overwhelming. I had only one idea of a style I like online, but knew I may not like it on my finger. Sure enough, that style did nothing for me once I had it on, but they had plenty to check out, so we kept looking. There was a three-stone oval cut that we both liked, but we weren't quite sure. We looked around some more and Barron said that when he saw the three-stone ring, his first thought was it represented us--he and I on each side, the Lord in the middle. Wow, how true.

We decided to keep looking around at other stores that afternoon since we're not very knowledgeable about diamonds. We did find one other ring that was very impressive, so we headed back to Justice to look at #1 again. On the drive there I told Barron "I wish God would tell us which one to pick!"

We headed straight for ring #1 and asked to try it on again. The question that we're using to guide our whole wedding is "does it glorify God?" Looking at candidate #1 and the meaning that we both saw in it, it was clear that THAT ring would glorify God the most. Every time someone asks about the ring, I have the opportunity to tell them about the journey and what it means to Barron and I. Yea!

This was one of the best days ever--I will forever have precious memories of how God brought this ring into our lives, and what it represents for both of us, even though it's on my hand. Thanks Barron for being obedient to the Lord's instruction to wait and shop together. It was wonderful!

Engaged!

2008-10-11T15:20:00.001-05:00

The adventure began October 2, 2008. Or was it when I was born 26 years (to the day) before? Whichever it was, birthday #26 will be remembered forever.

We went out to Ocean Zen for my birthday, the same place we went for our first date and one of our favorite places in town. Of course I figured it was just because it was my birthday. I will admit that I wondered if he would propose that night, but I had decided that he wouldn't because he'd know I'd be wondering. And that would have been the end of it, although that afternoon when I was talking to my dad he paused and said "hmmm, Barron's calling me." That made me curious, but I didn't want to ruin my birthday with such ridiculous expectations, so I prayed for the Lord to take the thought away and just enjoy dinner--and thankfully, He did.

We go back to my house after dinner and after a bathroom break and a couple Happy Birthday voice mails Barron asks me if I'm ready for my gift. Well, yeah! He stands me in the middle of the living room and tells me my gift is already in the house. Huh? Some of you may remember our dancing birthday cake--it was still in my house, so I figured he was going to go get that. Barron takes a lap around the house and comes back in with his hands behind his back. (Yes, I'm now curious, but confused, so still not expecting a proposal.) He stands in front of me and proceeds to tell me that he loves me and that he has tried to show me that over the months (I'm nodding) and he drops to one knee while saying he wants to spend the rest of his life with me (which I don't hear because I'm in shock) and asks me to marry him! Of course I say yes!

And then it occurs to me that I haven't seen a ring yet. Ah, but he knows I'm thinking that and explains that he doesn't have a ring because he wanted us to go pick it out together, not because he thought he was incapable, but because he had prayed about it and felt the Lord tell him we should go together because it's a symbol of our commitment. I loved that!

Perhaps the best part of all was Barron just holding me and praying for us and what the Lord wants to do in our future together. I am so blessed to have a man devoted to the Lord.

2008-10-08T22:32:00.000-05:00