Hard Drive

I haven't been posting much because the hard drive crashed on our home computer. I will try to catch up once the new one's in.

Meanwhile, I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season.

Oakville

Had a great time working on flood relief in Oakville over the weekend. We saw God do some amazing things, and I am so thankful for all our blessings, and for such a great team.

I also am grateful to say that I learned some new skills... ;-)

Happy Tuesday!

I'm excited to say I'm working on some fun stuff again. Will share soon...

Monday in the Kitchen

Got back from Omaha yesterday, and have spent most of the day in the kitchen. There's something so cozy on a fall day making soup, stock, applesauce, and cooking up meat for the freezer.

Pictured here is what is left of 10 lbs. of chicken quarters that have been cooked and picked apart.

Then we portion the meat into snack-sized bags, and put those into a freezer bag. At $.29/lb. it is definitely a good way to have a quick dinner on the cheap. We will get approximately 20 meals from this bundle. It works great for everything from soup, to quesadillas, pizza, the works.

Thanks...

Just wanted to say thank you to my lovely friend, Kristen, for such a fun time on Saturday. You're always such a good listener, encouraging, and an inspiration. But I am especially proud of you for this day (and you know why). :-) Just wait until next year.....

Happy Birthday

to my friend, Holly, who is one of the best friends a girl could have!

(Apparently we need to do a photo shoot, because I don't really have any pics, so settled for something I thought you'd like...)

Looking forward to our lunch date, have a great day!

Monday

Happy Monday!

Am painting this morning, then looking forward to meeting a friend for coffee later today.

Also planning to go to work, and maybe squeeze in a project or two...

What does your Monday look like?

Amen, Brother, Amen...

Happy Friday!

Today...

She Stole My Husband's Heart

A week and a half ago, I left with Chris' mom, sister, and cousin for St. Paul, MN, for a five-day get-away. We went to the Mall of America, and then attended the Women of Faith conference there.

Four hours after leaving home... yes that's right, four hours...

Chris was in the park killing some time while waiting on someone, and saw her. Apparently she was hungry and cold, and kept following people back and forth and no one noticed. Well Chris noticed. And after she followed him around for a while, he took her home. It was supposed to be in the 30s that night, and he was worried that she would die. (Not that I blame him, at all) So four hours after my leaving home, Mr No-Inside-Pets, and later, Mr. One-Cat-Is-More-Than-Enough-to-Handle, brought this little one home. And I must say, that I'm quite proud of him. Not that I was really ready for another pet. But...

She has completely bewitched him. No really. Ask anyone. She has been just about everywhere with him. My parents', Chris' parents, the office (she and Thor are getting along quite well), the grocery store (although she stayed in the truck), and even on service calls (again, happily napping in the truck).

There has been much debate since then, about her fate. Where would she live? At our house? At my in-laws? In the office? Well, the debate has been settled for now. She will live here, much to Zsa Zsa's (hopefully temporary) chagrin. We are hopeful, as the 'girls' are getting along better every day. I'm hoping they will be good company for each other.

The 'little one' will still visit the office from time to time, too, so we can all share.


Meanwhile, she is in desperate need of a name. She has been called all of the following, plus many more (some from us, some from the family): Polly (she rode on Chris' shoulder the first few days until getting hurt outside. This was during the maybe-she-could-be-an-outside-kitty-trial), Kitty, Little One, Whose-Its, Monkey Face, Sabrina, Zoey, Princess Mia, Spooks, and Hey-You. None of them seem quite right... Any suggestions? Cause, she needs a name soon. Just look at that face... (sigh) ;-)

Tuesday

Been gone and running. In the meantime, loving this song today:

We Live

Authentic Italian Evening

Few pics from the awesome Italian evening with Kristen. Thanks, Lady!!! We had the best time ever, and are looking forward to hanging out again. (Chris can't stop talking about the food...)

Heirloom tomatoes





The Sauce


Antipaste (sp?)

September 11th 2008

Finished...

Well, it's done.

So glad I took it.

I learned so much.

Happy to have more time for other things right now.

Labor Day Weekend- Part 2

Just thought I'd share a few pics from Threshers' 2008...





Fried Twinkie on a stick...






















Old Threshers' is one of Chris' family's long-standing traditions. We had a great time, and I can't wait until next year!

Labor Day Weekend- Part 1

Went over to see my grandparents, and my uncle and cousin who were here from OK. Stayed at my great-aunt's house, so that gave me a chance to take a few more photos of the way she kept things (at least some of my favorites), and kind of say goodbye one more time.

Her kitchen cabinet- she always used china


Cuckoo clock over the kitchen table




Dining chair


This hangs in her hall. Don't know the story behind it, but it's awesome!




This one's blurry, but I had to share it anyway...




I got too busy talking to take pictures at my grandparents', so all the family photos were taken by others. So I don't have any to share yet, but it was a great time! :-)

Song

Woke up this morning a little after 4:00 to a thunderstorm, and a weird dream and this song running through my head. Makes me grateful for all my blessings, and pray for so many others.

Busy day today (they all are lately). Need to work, put up peaches, clean, pack, etc., etc., etc. Going to see my grandparents & family soon. Excited about that!

Been tagged by Sarah, but I'll wait to share that for a few days.

Have a great day!

-E.

Nine

Yesterday marked our ninth wedding anniversary. Nine years.... Nine. How can this be? In some ways it seems like we've always been married, and yet somehow, it seems like it's only been a year or two...

I must say would definitely do it all again, given the chance!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was a really fun day. When I first woke up, it was to see this:


Then, for lunch, we had a toasted Asiago Foccacia sandwich with grilled vegetables, chicken, cheese, and sun-dried tomato sauce. Yum! I also indulged and picked up some IBC root beer and Jones soda to go with it. ;-) We had planned on a picnic, but in the interest of time just had a nice quiet lunch at home.


For dinner we went to the local Mexican restaurant, then to the ice cream shop for dessert. When we got home, we watched our "behind the scenes" wedding video for the first time (long story), and had presents. A pretty-much-perfect day!

Loving Laundry in the Summer

Sounds strange, right? But there's something so purposeful and relaxing in hanging clothes out on the line. It's quiet, and gives you a chance to daydream and reflect a bit. No rush. No multi-tasking. No feeling guilty about it either. Plus it's eco-friendly.






Yep- I will definitely be a little sad when the cold weather comes- not that it doesn't bring pleasures of it's own...

Happy Saturday!

It's such a lovely Saturday morning- so full of potential and promise!

Painting, cleaning, and laundry are on the agenda, and I must say I'm actually excited about it. There's something about rolling up your sleeves, cranking up the tunes, and really digging in to a project that just makes you feel good at the end of the day...

Then we are attending a wedding this evening, which will be so special and absolutely beautiful.

What a perfect Saturday! (Other than laying on a beach doing nothing, of course) ;-)

(Sigh of Relief & Happiness)

• Feeling happy and blessed:

*Procedure went well.
*Everyone is home tonight.
*Found out today that some miracles are much bigger than we think they are.
*Got iced coffee to celebrate (tried Caramel, but Hazelnut is still the best.)

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory...
~Ephesians 3:20-21a

A Month

It seems a lot can happen in a little over a month- especially this summer. Unfortunately, I haven't had a camera at the ready for most of it. But- given the nature of the month, I think it's ok.

It started with a family emergency (everyone's ok now), and has ended still trying to catch up and recover from said emergency. Tomorrow is part two of dealing with the rest of the "situation", so any and all prayers are appreciated. We're hoping that the procedure will be routine, and everyone will be home on Wednesday.

I'm so thankful that things have turned out as they have. It could have ended so differently. I've never felt how truly small I am, as I did that night. Not at the ocean, or in the mountains, not on a plane. Life is so fragile, so brief. We are small. But God is so big, and God is so good.

I'm also thankful to have such wonderful friends, who teach me how to be a better friend every day. Through this situation, and the actions these friends, neighbors, and fellow Christians- I can tell you that I have truly seen the hands and feet of Christ reflected. And they are beautiful...

In my true fashion of coping, instead of crying or freaking out (although I did get teary twice), I decided that I would start taking a class. So, I am in the process of taking a business class online in order to try to make my dreams a reality. It feels really good to be moving forward. Can't wait to get things rolling.....

Sorry for so much heaviness on a Monday. More fun to come, I promise!