Merry Christmas 2011

I love love love Christmastime, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a teensy bit sad when it's all over. This year was wonderful as always, celebrating the birth of our savior, spending time with family, and having fun with traditions. One tradition I would love to see continue year after year was the banquet Daystar held for people that serve in the church at the beginning of December; it was so much fun to get dressed up and eat dinner with wonderful people. I uploaded 2 pictures below from the banquet of me and Jen and me and Enoch. Thank you Jen for taking great pictures! Alexa Stutts (a very talented photographer in our church-Google Alexa Stutts photography to check out her work) also took some very hilarious and memorable shots in her photo booth. Thank you Alexa for taking the time to do that for everyone!

Traditions at our home include making and eating alot of food on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! We tried some new recipes this year and we found the perfect Crab Dip recipe along with a very yummy spinach artichoke dip recipe, and a dip called Santa Fe Cheesecake was a huge hit. Us kids spent alot of time cooking on Christmas Eve while mom wrapped presents; then we all proceeded to fall asleep on and off while watching The Polar Express (Christmas movies are also a big deal around here-I lost track of how many times I watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and The Santa Clause). Mom never ceases to amaze me with her gift giving every year. It's like she can't help but spoil us even at the ages of 19, 21, and 22. My big gift this year was a dutch oven-LOVE it.

I try to do something crafty for my mom every year for Christmas; this year I used an idea I found on Pinterest (I'll admit I'm kind of an addict) to make her snowflake Christmas ornaments. It involved cookie cutters, fabric, and Elmer's glue. Very inexpensive and cute :)

Sighhh, now it's time to look onward to 2012 and the last semester of my undergraduate career. Student teaching here I come!

My Hope is in You

New favorite song, check it out!

Aaron Shust - My Hope is In You

I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God , in whom I trust."

Psalm 91:2

10 Years

I was 11 years old. It was a seemingly normal school day at home with my mom, Megan, and Steven. My mom got a call from her best friend who had a daughter with a husband in the Air Force. They were in the process of flying back to the USA from his base in Italy and were over Canada when all flights were grounded. My mom immediately turned on the TV, and I watched the first tower burn and the plane hit the second tower. I also watched the Pentagon burn and smoke rise from Flight 93 in Shanksville, PA. I watched both towers collapse. I had never heard the word terrorism used before. I began collecting newspaper articles and magazine articles in the months that followed 9-11. I still have all of them sitting in 2 shoeboxes under my bed. I created a 9-11 notebook with some of these articles as well as pages of journal entries I had recorded, noting my fears, sadness, shock, and hope at what had happened. That too still sits in my closet.

After watching a 9-11 special tonight, my heart is thankful and my heart hurts again for the families of those that lost loved ones. For the firefighters who were so brave and gave their lives to save others. For the firefighters and departments who's lives were forever changed permanently by what they experienced that day. For the children who are growing up today without parents.

September 11, 2001. Never Forget.

I'm Back!

I'm back from a 3 month blog hiatus!

It was an amazingly busy summer for me working at Quaker Lake Camp, and I enjoyed every minute of it!

I believe God has a reason for everything, and it was so cool to see how He used my past experiences in food service and kitchens and preschoolers and science in my job at Quaker Lake. I worked in the kitchen about 2 meals a day and then coordinated a preschool nature program that took place twice a month. I built great relationships with some awesome people and loved doing something different for a summer job that didn't involve tourists :)

Now I'm back at UNCG, a little over 2 weeks into my SENIOR year, and tackling things head-on. It was a little rough the first week or so, trying to get things organized and getting settled into a routine, but I'm getting there and am really enjoying my internship in 5th grade.

There are so many things running through my head right now about my future, where God wants me, and all the big things he wants to do through me. I'm really focusing on thanking Him for everything he's given me, including an incredible boyfriend that he brought into my life over the summer :)

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to my momma! Your strong spirit and determination when life has thrown you some tough curveballs amazes me constantly. You're beautiful and smart and I'm so glad I get to be your daughter.

Pig Pickin' Cake

I saw this delicious recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks back in January and I finally had the time and the ingredients to make it! If you want the recipe you can find it here - Pig Cake. The one thing I will say is that with the icing, it calls for all the pineapple juice to be reserved and then added, but my icing turned out a bit thin for my liking (as you might be able to tell by my picture), so I would recommend adding in half the juice and then adding more as needed. It's still delicious, but it might have made spreading a bit easier if it was thicker. Another side note is that Pioneer Woman bakes her cake in a 9 by 13 pan and I chose to layer mine using 2 round pans, so pick whatever way fits your fancy and go with it :)

Chicken Adobo with Rice

This is a great dish mom found in Food & Wine magazine that's a take on an original Filipino dish; we've made it several times and love the salty and tart flavors that the vinegar and soy sauce bring to the chicken. It's great served over steamed rice with broccoli, plus it's quick and easy to make!

Chicken Adobo with Rice

- 1 tbs. Vegetable Oil

- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1 inch strips

- Ground black pepper

- 4 cloves of garlic or 2 Tsp. of minced bottled garlic

- 1/2 c. white vinegar

- 1/2 c. reduced sodium soy sauce

- 1 bay leaf

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, seasoned with 1/2 tsp. of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until light golden brown (4-6 minutes). Add garlic and cook one minute. Add vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaf (broken into several pieces), and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer (medium-low heat), and simmer until liquid reduces by about 1/4-1/2 or to desired thickness (8-10 minutes). During simmering, push the chicken to the edges so that it doesn't get overcooked. Also, stir occasionally, always pushing chicken back to the edges and the bay leaf pieces to the center. Discard the bay leaf and serve over steamed rice.