As I sit here on New Year's Eve, I can honestly say for the first time ever I'm excited a year is over. 2011 has been such a hard, hard year for us, but it has also been full of blessings and sweetness too. Bittersweet is how I think I'll always remember my life in 2011. I know that many people have had questions about what exactly is going on with our future, and how we've come to this place, so I thought I'd write a little bit of a synopsis of what has happened this year. If you want to skip this post, feel free, but I hope to clear up some things even our immediate families have been confused about.
January
I told my employer that I wouldn't be returning after Deacon's birth in February. Nathan was scheduled to enter Officer Candidate School (OCS) for the Army in April, and we agreed that with him being gone and having a one year old and a newborn, I just couldn't keep up with my current job that entailed a 40 minute commute each way.
February
Deacon was born on February 22nd and he was definitely the sweetest part of our year. Because there would be a time lapse of about five weeks after Deacon's birth before Nathan was scheduled to leave for OCS and our income would suffer, Nathan volunteered to work some extra hours out at the Air Base where he was currently a member of the Air National Guard. He had a consistent schedule at Lowe's of 6am-2pm Monday thru Friday. He had planned to then go directly to the air base and work from about 2pm-6pm every evening. It was going to be for just a few weeks. After Nathan had confirmed that this plan would be okay with his manager at Lowe's, the store manager decided that he could no longer have his fixed schedule. I won't go into great detail because I blogged about it here, but because Nathan had volunteered to work the hours and wasn't actually on "Orders" with the Air Guard, he wasn't excused from work at Lowe's, and they were unwilling to work with his commitment to the Air Guard. He was scheduled to work at Lowe's when he had committed to be at the Air base, so he had to make a quick decision to resign from Lowe's.
March-May
Nathan learned that his OCS had been pushed back from April until July. He was able to begin working part-time for his best friend in our hometown- an hour away from our house. We spent many nights as a family at my parents' home so that we didn't have to be apart because we knew that Nathan was getting ready to be out of state at OCS for several months. I graduated with my MBA from Northwest Missouri State University in May.
June
In June I had the privilege to travel with our hometown church's youth group to M-Fuge in Charleston, SC. This week was life-changing for Nathan and me. While I was in South Carolina growing in my faith and experiencing God in a way I never had before, Nathan was in Missouri growing in his own faith as well. I can't even begin to explain to you how awesome this spiritual growth was for both of us individually and as a couple, but God did BIG things in our lives this month.
July
As a family we travelled from Missouri to Georgia. I started selling thirty-one, which was an amazing blessing this year for our family. Nathan arrived at Ft. Benning, GA to (he thought) begin OCS.
August
After being at Ft. Benning for about a month and realizing that OCS was booked full and he could be spending months at Benning just waiting for a spot to open up, Nathan made the decision that he'd leave OCS and fulfill his Army commitment as an enlisted soldier.
September
Nathan drove from Ft. Benning, GA to Ft. Huachuca, AZ, and began training for his new enlisted job in the Army. He was assigned to go to school during the "swing" shift, so he was in class every night from 4 PM until 12 AM, arriving back in his room around 1 AM and getting up and eating breakfast before PT every morning at 9 AM. During this time he started to notice that he had an unquenchable thirst, frequent urination (sorry) and dry eyes.
October
Nathan continued to work hard at his training, and was excelling in his class as well as in PT. We learned that we were going to be stationed in Savannah, GA at Hunter Army Airfield. Because Hunter uses a different kind of aircraft, he learned he'd be going to an additional school when his first one ended in January and we'd PCS (move to Georgia) around the end of April.
November
On Veteran's weekend Nathan was able to come home for the first time since July. His flight came in on Thursday, and he told me that night his side was aching and he thought he might have a bruised rib. Friday he seemed to feel a little better, but on Saturday he was pretty miserable. We went ahead and visited his mom in our hometown, but he spent the day sleeping on her couch. Nathan is NOT a napper, so I should've known something was really wrong, but he just played it off to be not that big a deal. Sunday he seemed to feel better, and on Monday we drove to Kansas City to catch his flight. We decided to swing by Toys R Us to let Manning look at the toys (it was the day before his birthday) and by time we went to lunch Nathan said he was feeling pretty miserable. As I drove him to the airport, I began questioning him and I thought I should probably be driving him to the hospital instead, but Nathan insisted he was okay. He flew from KC to Santa Fe, and when he called me on his layover I could tell something was very wrong. He promised me he'd go straight to the ER once he checked in on base in Arizona. At the ER he was diagnosed with diabetes and told he had a kidney infection. He was told to check in with the military doctor the following day. He had a CT scan, and was told to come back a week later for follow-up. He was never put on an insulin regiment or specific diet. About four days later he got very ill during his class and the paramedics came. He was taken to the hospital and admitted to ICU. What was originally thought to be a kidney infection showed, after he had another CT using contrast, to be an abscess on his liver and kidney. It was determined he needed a drain to release the fluid from the abscess. Because the local hospital wasn't equipped to handle this, he was transferred to the University Medical Center in Tucson. After ten days in the hospital, he was released to a skilled nursing facility.
December
After two weeks in the skilled nursing facility, Nathan was downgraded from IV medicine to oral antibiotics just in time to come home and enjoy holiday leave with our family.
I know that was a lot, but hopefully it can clear up some questions I've been asked. We are believing for BIG things in our lives in 2012. I have been criticized for being "preachy" on my blog, and I really don't try to be, but I do have to say, if we didn't have our faith I'm not sure how we would've survived this year. It has been so, so hard, but knowing that God has big plans for our lives makes it all bearable. A friend shared this Bible verse with me last night, and I'm claiming it for 2012. "Who am I, O sovreign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?" 2 Samuel 7:18
I'm so thankful for a Lord that IS sovreign, and for a Lord that blesses us with enough "sweet" to outtaste the "bitter". While there has been a lot of bitter, 2011 allowed me the sweetest blessings, another year with Manning, the life of our sweet Deacon, and the extreme blessing of spending my days serving them both. My prayer is that God will bless you and yours in 2012.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Sometimes
Most of the time, I am truly faithful that God has a great plan for our family and that he will bring us through our current trial stronger than before, and that it will all be worth it. I'm confident and happy even despite our circumstances, but sometimes, I'm mad, and sad, and frustrated. Tonight is "sometimes".
It's late Thursday night as I write this, and Nathan will head back to Arizona on Sunday afternoon after only eleven full days home. This separation thing isn't something that's new to us. Nathan and I started dating in October of 2003, and he was deployed from December 2003 until March 2005. THAT is a long time. We were married in July of 2005 and on our first day of college together in August, he was deployed again. He was only gone about three weeks, but it felt like forever since I was in a new city and living on my own for the first time ever.
Now, he's been gone since July. First he was at Officer Candidate School in Georgia, and then after seeing that things weren't going as planned, he voluntarily withdrew and headed directly to Arizona for a different military training that should be done in just a few weeks, but Nathan won't be graduating in just a few weeks, and we won't be moving together as a family to somewhere new and exciting. Instead, on Sunday, Nathan will return to Arizona for some undetermined amount of time. We have no clue when we'll see each other again, when we will live under the same roof, or what is going to happen with his career.
Most of the time, I know everything will work out and that we are going to be fine- financially, emotionally and physically, but sometimes, out of nowhere, like a sucker punch to the stomach, I have a crippling fear. What if Nathan can never find another job? What if I have to become the sole provider for our family? What if we are stuck in this tiny house in this stupid town that we live in until we are old and grey? What if we can't grow our family because we don't have room for one more body and can't afford to feed one more mouth? What if I should be working? What if I should be a stay-at-home mom? What if I am not good enough to be either a working mom or a stay-at-home mom?
These fears, they are paralyzing, and most of the time I can focus on the positive- Nathan's disease is relatively treatable. Nathan didn't die, when we're told if he had gone a few more weeks without treatment that was a likely scenario. My kids are happy and healthy. They don't know that we are struggling. Living an hour from family seems like the perfect distance even though I long to live someplace more exciting and fun. But sometimes, sometimes I want to feel sorry for myself. I want people to acknowledge that we're struggling and I want validation that I'm doing a good job despite some pretty crappy circumstances. Sometimes I want to be back in a financial place where I didn't feel guilty about buying a new pair of jeans or a new electronic gadget. Sometimes I want the luxury of going to a full-time job from 8-5 while my husband goes to a full-time job from 8-5 and we live under the same roof and eat dinner together and do the same mundane habits day in and day out. Sometimes I crave boring, and sometimes I loathe this feeling like we're always waiting for the next shoe to drop. Sometimes I get angry that other people are able to sell their houses simply because they want to buy a bigger one, but the burden of our home is keeping me thousands of miles from my husband. Sometimes, I want to quit. I want to pack my bags and run away. Away from the stress, fear, anxiety, unfairness frustration, and sadness.
But tonight, I won't. I'll put a smile on my face, grab a snack and enjoy a movie with my husband, because tonight, he's here, and that's not something I get to say most of the time.
It's late Thursday night as I write this, and Nathan will head back to Arizona on Sunday afternoon after only eleven full days home. This separation thing isn't something that's new to us. Nathan and I started dating in October of 2003, and he was deployed from December 2003 until March 2005. THAT is a long time. We were married in July of 2005 and on our first day of college together in August, he was deployed again. He was only gone about three weeks, but it felt like forever since I was in a new city and living on my own for the first time ever.
Now, he's been gone since July. First he was at Officer Candidate School in Georgia, and then after seeing that things weren't going as planned, he voluntarily withdrew and headed directly to Arizona for a different military training that should be done in just a few weeks, but Nathan won't be graduating in just a few weeks, and we won't be moving together as a family to somewhere new and exciting. Instead, on Sunday, Nathan will return to Arizona for some undetermined amount of time. We have no clue when we'll see each other again, when we will live under the same roof, or what is going to happen with his career.
Most of the time, I know everything will work out and that we are going to be fine- financially, emotionally and physically, but sometimes, out of nowhere, like a sucker punch to the stomach, I have a crippling fear. What if Nathan can never find another job? What if I have to become the sole provider for our family? What if we are stuck in this tiny house in this stupid town that we live in until we are old and grey? What if we can't grow our family because we don't have room for one more body and can't afford to feed one more mouth? What if I should be working? What if I should be a stay-at-home mom? What if I am not good enough to be either a working mom or a stay-at-home mom?
These fears, they are paralyzing, and most of the time I can focus on the positive- Nathan's disease is relatively treatable. Nathan didn't die, when we're told if he had gone a few more weeks without treatment that was a likely scenario. My kids are happy and healthy. They don't know that we are struggling. Living an hour from family seems like the perfect distance even though I long to live someplace more exciting and fun. But sometimes, sometimes I want to feel sorry for myself. I want people to acknowledge that we're struggling and I want validation that I'm doing a good job despite some pretty crappy circumstances. Sometimes I want to be back in a financial place where I didn't feel guilty about buying a new pair of jeans or a new electronic gadget. Sometimes I want the luxury of going to a full-time job from 8-5 while my husband goes to a full-time job from 8-5 and we live under the same roof and eat dinner together and do the same mundane habits day in and day out. Sometimes I crave boring, and sometimes I loathe this feeling like we're always waiting for the next shoe to drop. Sometimes I get angry that other people are able to sell their houses simply because they want to buy a bigger one, but the burden of our home is keeping me thousands of miles from my husband. Sometimes, I want to quit. I want to pack my bags and run away. Away from the stress, fear, anxiety, unfairness frustration, and sadness.
But tonight, I won't. I'll put a smile on my face, grab a snack and enjoy a movie with my husband, because tonight, he's here, and that's not something I get to say most of the time.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Holiday Handmade Sekret Exchange
For Christmas I participated in a handmade holiday swap with Audrey from Planet Hausfrau. While I still haven't sent my partner her gift yet- I swear I'm heading to the PO tomorrow- I received the most adorable gift from Rachael last week. I love it. I'm totes jelly of her mad sewing skillz. Sorry, my jealousy made even my language revert to seventh grade level. Thanks Rach. I truly love it!
hello there! my name is rachael, my blog is imagine gnats (if you want to know more about me, you can check out this link), and i'm so happy to be posting here today about the gift i sent Kodi for Planet Hausfrau's Holiday Handmade Sekret Exchange!
i must admit that i found the challenge of making a handmade gift for someone i have never met a bit daunting, and that it took me a little while to decide what direction to go. i knew that i wanted to sew something, but i wanted it to be something i hadn't made before and (of course) i wanted it to be lovely. i decided that a quilted throw pillow would be a good place to start and went to pinterest, where i settled on this photo as my inspiration. before i made it to search through my fabric scraps and piece together a wonky chevron, i got distracted by the echo prints i recently broke my "no new fabric until after the new year" vow to purchase, and we ended up with echo chevron.
here's an overview of the process:
cut two strips of each fabric (mine were approximately 4" wide for a 16" pillow form), and then cut strips out of each on the bias. note that in order to have the pattern facing "up" on both sides of the chevron, you'll need to cut the bias line on each of the two strips in opposite directions.
arrange your strips so that the fabrics are alternating and sew together, pressing all of the edges in the same direction.
trim the edges if necessary and sew the two sides together, matching up and pinning at points.
sew strips of solid fabric on either side of the chevron. i made my strips different widths so that the chevron would be off-center. then cut out your batting, slightly larger than the fabric.
pin fabric to batting and mark quilting lines. i decided to make my lines "echo" the chevron. i used painter's tape to make guide lines for my stitching on the solid fabric.
i quilted a single line across the entire piece that stays within the chevron. when i did the double line in the solid fabric, i stitched from the edge and then down the seam where the chevron meets the solid fabric (in the ditch, they say) which was mostly successful.
i used two pieces of the solid fabric for the fabric for a simple envelope closure.
and there you go!
for a little something extra (and determined not to waste scraps of echo!), i decided to make a few scrappy stocking ornaments from this stumbles & stitches tutorial.
i hope you enjoy your pillow and stockings, Kodi. and i wish you and your readers a very happy holiday season!
hello there! my name is rachael, my blog is imagine gnats (if you want to know more about me, you can check out this link), and i'm so happy to be posting here today about the gift i sent Kodi for Planet Hausfrau's Holiday Handmade Sekret Exchange!
i must admit that i found the challenge of making a handmade gift for someone i have never met a bit daunting, and that it took me a little while to decide what direction to go. i knew that i wanted to sew something, but i wanted it to be something i hadn't made before and (of course) i wanted it to be lovely. i decided that a quilted throw pillow would be a good place to start and went to pinterest, where i settled on this photo as my inspiration. before i made it to search through my fabric scraps and piece together a wonky chevron, i got distracted by the echo prints i recently broke my "no new fabric until after the new year" vow to purchase, and we ended up with echo chevron.
here's an overview of the process:
cut two strips of each fabric (mine were approximately 4" wide for a 16" pillow form), and then cut strips out of each on the bias. note that in order to have the pattern facing "up" on both sides of the chevron, you'll need to cut the bias line on each of the two strips in opposite directions.
arrange your strips so that the fabrics are alternating and sew together, pressing all of the edges in the same direction.
trim the edges if necessary and sew the two sides together, matching up and pinning at points.
sew strips of solid fabric on either side of the chevron. i made my strips different widths so that the chevron would be off-center. then cut out your batting, slightly larger than the fabric.
pin fabric to batting and mark quilting lines. i decided to make my lines "echo" the chevron. i used painter's tape to make guide lines for my stitching on the solid fabric.
i quilted a single line across the entire piece that stays within the chevron. when i did the double line in the solid fabric, i stitched from the edge and then down the seam where the chevron meets the solid fabric (in the ditch, they say) which was mostly successful.
i used two pieces of the solid fabric for the fabric for a simple envelope closure.
and there you go!
for a little something extra (and determined not to waste scraps of echo!), i decided to make a few scrappy stocking ornaments from this stumbles & stitches tutorial.
i hope you enjoy your pillow and stockings, Kodi. and i wish you and your readers a very happy holiday season!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Christmas Shopping Idea
As I was sitting here tonight frustrated that once again, finances got crazy at the end of the year causing us to "skip" a lot of our Christmas buying, I came up with a solution that I think is really good (if I do say so myself). I think this could help some of you guys too, so I thought I'd blog about it!
I've heard of people "shopping all year" for Christmas, and even though I've wanted to do this, I always seem to forget. Yeah, I might pick up one or two things as something strikes me as a good idea for a particular person, but I never think to do enough throughout the year that it lessens the end of the year stress any.
In the past I’ve used a special savings account just for Christmas, and I still think this is a good idea for maybe just our kids, but it doesn’t help take away any of the time stressors during Christmas season anyway.
So, here’s my plan for next year! With a few exceptions such as the family names we draw, we buy (or want to buy) for the same exact people every year. I decided that before the end of the year I’m going to sit down and make out a list of those people. Just for example:
Nolan
Sherry
Gavin
Kourtnie
Jeff
Lori
Ben
Trent
Lauren
Tyler
Those are the ten people in our immediate families right now.
Then, I’m going to assign each person to a month. So, using the same people from the example:
January- Nolan
February- Sherry
March- Gavin
April- Kourtnie
May- Jeff
June- Lori
July- Ben
August- Trent
September- Lauren
October- Tyler
Obviously, if I were using a complete list there would probably be around five people per month.
So, once I’ve assigned each month’s giftees, I would then write in my Life Planner half of the giftees on one payday for the month, and half on the other payday for the month. That gives me an average of 2.5 people to shop for off of every paycheck, and about two and a half weeks to do the shopping.
I just think this will make things SO much less stressful, and allow Nathan and I to participate in the giving act of Christmas that we are missing out on this year.
A few things to think about with this plan:
- If I find a gift for someone but it’s not their “turn” I’ll buy it anyway, and move one of the people whose turn it is to their turn. So, if I find a great gift for Trent in February, I’d just swap him and Sherry.
- Time-sensitive gifting could be a small issue. For example, I could find something really great for Kourtnie and buy it for her in April, but before Christmas someone else has already given it to her, or she’s bought it for herself. I guess this would be something to consider, but for the most part I try to buy people gifts that I don’t think they’d think to buy themselves. If the gift were to be something I was worrying about with this, I could swap Kourtnie for someone later in the year, and write down in my Life Planner the great idea I thought of for her to purchase that month. This would also work in event of a sale on a certain item…if Kourtnie is in November, but her item is on sale in October, just swap! The point isn’t necessarily for me to purchase for specific people in a specific month, but rather to spread the shopping out and be more intentional with my giving.
So, what do y’all think? Do you have any questions or think I might be forgetting something?
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Christmas Traditions
Yesterday at my MOPS meeting the speaker talked about Christmas traditions. She's a mom of two boys too, but they're a little older than my boys, so it was really great to hear her perspective of Christmas traditions- what she is glad she did and what she'd do differently in the future. This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately, and while I don't feel tons of pressure this year because I know they're still too young to remember details, I think next year we need to have our traditions in place.
The speaker at MOPS encouraged us mothers of young children to think about where God's place is in the Christmas activities we are doing. She said if we can't find his place in the activity, we should consider not doing it. This really struck a cord with me since I've already been thinking a lot about how to keep Christmas holy in a world where it's not, but still have fun as a family, because I really believe God wants us to.
Advent
Growing up we always celebrated the Advent at our church on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, but I never really thought about doing it at home. Our speaker talked about how her family observes Advent every Sunday evening and I think this is a really great way to keep our focus on Jesus during the Christmas season. I hope to make our own Advent wreath and start this next year. This should be wonderful for Nathan and I as well as our kids. I also think it would be really neat to invite a different family to our house every week to participate.
Christmas Eve services & Birthday Cake for Jesus
Since Christmas day can be so hectic, I thought the best way to celebrate the actual birth of Jesus, especially while our kids are still so young, would be to host a birthday party for Jesus at our house on Christmas Eve during the afternoon, and later that night we can attend Christmas Eve services wherever we are, whether we are in our hometown or in the city where we live, or in a new city where we move to.
Three Gifts
I got the idea from someone that in order to have Santa, but still keep the focus on Christ, they have Santa bring just three gifts for each child, just like the three wise men brought Jesus three gifts when he was born. I think this is a great plan. I'd also like Nathan and I to give each kid something that they want, need, wear and read, so each child would get seven gifts total on Christmas morning. That's more than enough in my opinion!
Giving to Others
One of the most important parts of Christmas is teaching our children to give to others. There are several ways to do this, but some that I like include shopping for local children in need, sending a Christmas gift through Compassion or World Vision, and also giving of our time. This could be done by going Christmas caroling at nursing homes or ringing the Salvation Army bell.
Giving to Each Other
Another way I'd like my children to learn to give sacrificially is by giving to each other. I'd like them to save a portion of their own money and spend it to buy their brother (or sister someday) a gift. When we have more than two children, we can draw names. I think that the act of using their own money, and taking their own time to pick out gifts, can help a child understand the work that goes into all of the things they receive throughout the year, not just on Christmas morning.
Other traditions I'd like to have: driving through a Christmas light show in pajamas with hot chocolate, send out photo cards, decorate the tree as a family while listening to Christmas music, each get a new special Christmas ornament every year in our stocking, and playing in the snow whenever we can!
Anything I'm missing? What is your favorite Christ-focused Christmas tradition?
Linking up with AP for Oh What Fun it is to... Make Memories!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Pickle Things
Some of my favorite bloggers are hosting a linky party this entire week called "Oh what fun it is to..." and today the dot dot dot is cook! It's being hosted by Molly, the Duchess of Fork!
I don't really enjoy cooking on a daily basis because honestly, with two little people needing constant attention from me it isn't really enjoyable or relaxing so much as hurry up and create something edible to fulfill a need. That said, I LOVE making new, delicious things for family get-togethers, and Christmas is the perfect time to try some things out. Maybe you're like me and looking for something super easy and yummy to try out this Christmas...you're in the right place.
Pickle Things and I go way back. I have a vivid memory of our across the street neighbor bringing plates of these over for my family and my dad limiting how many we could have because he wanted them all to himself. He's not a jerk. They're just that good! Oh, and did I mention that technically there is no cooking involved and also that these are the easiest thing ever in the whole world to make because you literally cannot mess them up?
Ingredients:
-Jar of Dried Beef (In case you're not familiar with dried beef, I get the kind that looks like this. In my grocery store it's in the aisle near the pickled pigs feet. Gag. I've also had these made with thinly sliced lunchmeat from the deli counter, but they're a lot more moist and less crisp. The beef works better texture wise, in my opinion.)
-Block of Cream Cheese softened to room temperature
-Jar of DILL pickle spears
-Toothpicks (Optional)
THAT IS IT. THREE INGREDIENTS. DON'T YOU FEEL YOUR HOLIDAY STRESS LIFTING ALREADY?!
1. Slice rough ends off of dill pickle spears. Slice each spear length wise and width wise. This should create four uniform pieces of pickle from each spear.
2. Dry off the pickles with a paper towel. Sometimes it's even a good idea to let them sit on the counter overnight to dry up a bit. They're plenty juicy inside, but you need the outside juices dried up.
3. Spread each dried beef piece with cream cheese coating.
4. Place pickle in the middle and fold each side of the beef up and around the pickle.
5. You can stick each Pickle Thing with a toothpick to hold it together, or just flip them over so the seam side is down on the serving platter. I typically use toothpicks for parties, but if we're just eating them at home I forego the toothpicks.
That's it! Super easy and the perfect delicious salty snack or appetizer for your holiday get-togethers. Let me know if you make these this holiday season. They're especially good if you're pregnant...cough...AP...cough.
I don't really enjoy cooking on a daily basis because honestly, with two little people needing constant attention from me it isn't really enjoyable or relaxing so much as hurry up and create something edible to fulfill a need. That said, I LOVE making new, delicious things for family get-togethers, and Christmas is the perfect time to try some things out. Maybe you're like me and looking for something super easy and yummy to try out this Christmas...you're in the right place.
Pickle Things and I go way back. I have a vivid memory of our across the street neighbor bringing plates of these over for my family and my dad limiting how many we could have because he wanted them all to himself. He's not a jerk. They're just that good! Oh, and did I mention that technically there is no cooking involved and also that these are the easiest thing ever in the whole world to make because you literally cannot mess them up?
Ingredients:
-Jar of Dried Beef (In case you're not familiar with dried beef, I get the kind that looks like this. In my grocery store it's in the aisle near the pickled pigs feet. Gag. I've also had these made with thinly sliced lunchmeat from the deli counter, but they're a lot more moist and less crisp. The beef works better texture wise, in my opinion.)
-Jar of DILL pickle spears
-Toothpicks (Optional)
THAT IS IT. THREE INGREDIENTS. DON'T YOU FEEL YOUR HOLIDAY STRESS LIFTING ALREADY?!
1. Slice rough ends off of dill pickle spears. Slice each spear length wise and width wise. This should create four uniform pieces of pickle from each spear.
2. Dry off the pickles with a paper towel. Sometimes it's even a good idea to let them sit on the counter overnight to dry up a bit. They're plenty juicy inside, but you need the outside juices dried up.
3. Spread each dried beef piece with cream cheese coating.
4. Place pickle in the middle and fold each side of the beef up and around the pickle.
5. You can stick each Pickle Thing with a toothpick to hold it together, or just flip them over so the seam side is down on the serving platter. I typically use toothpicks for parties, but if we're just eating them at home I forego the toothpicks.
That's it! Super easy and the perfect delicious salty snack or appetizer for your holiday get-togethers. Let me know if you make these this holiday season. They're especially good if you're pregnant...cough...AP...cough.
Christmas Traditions!
Sweet Lindsey asked me to guest post on her blog about my family's Christmas traditions. Click on the picture if you want to read and be sure to let Lindsey know that I sent you over! :)
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Pinspired--- Wreath Edition
There are so many awesome wreaths on Pinterest that I have an entire pinboard dedicated to them. Okay, there are only two pins on that board, but I have high hopes! I wanted something that would be bright and festive for Christmas, but cheap to make because I'm on a permanent budget. I saw this pin
which was meant for Halloween, and then Gina tweeted that Michael's had ribbon on sale for 75% off! It was kismet. I didn't want just red and green, so I decided to throw in some pink and turqoise...these are the colors I have on my Christmas tree...except I don't have one up this year, but those are the colors of the decorations in my rubbermaid tubs downstairs. *clears throat*
Anyway, this is my result.
Here are the steps:
I purchased the cheapest embroidery hoops they had at Michael's...they were $1.49. And each embroidery hoop comes with two circles, so I paid about $.75 per wreath form.
I then took four different rolls of ribbon and cut them each into equal lengths.
Then, I just started knotting the ribbon around the hoop. I repeated the same pattern over and over around the hoop. I also think if you wanted to more random, less anal look you could just do all of color a, then b and so on.
For the one that wasn't going on my front door, I added a longer length of ribbon and tied it to match. I'm not sure if that makes sense but I think the picture shows what I mean.
So, what have you been making from Pinterest lately?
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Ten Truths
1. Marriage is only a choice up until you take your vows. After that, it is a commitment.
2. Not everyone is going to like you. It is a disservice to yourself if you try to change so that everyone will.
3. If you want to know how people view you, look at how other people view your best friend(s).
4. If you want to get more from your spouse, give more to your spouse.
5. If you feel smug or superior about your child's behavior, your child will make you regret it.
6. There is no such thing as a child that is too loved.
7. You don't always have to agree with your spouse, but you do always have to support your spouse.
8. You will never regret the children you have, but you might regret the ones you don't.
9. People never drop by the house right after you clean it.
10. Hurt people hurt people.*
*This is borrowed from Amy, who told me she heard her pastor say it.
2. Not everyone is going to like you. It is a disservice to yourself if you try to change so that everyone will.
3. If you want to know how people view you, look at how other people view your best friend(s).
4. If you want to get more from your spouse, give more to your spouse.
5. If you feel smug or superior about your child's behavior, your child will make you regret it.
6. There is no such thing as a child that is too loved.
7. You don't always have to agree with your spouse, but you do always have to support your spouse.
8. You will never regret the children you have, but you might regret the ones you don't.
9. People never drop by the house right after you clean it.
10. Hurt people hurt people.*
*This is borrowed from Amy, who told me she heard her pastor say it.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Crappy Endings
Hello there. Still here in the hospital with Nathan. Still sleeping on a pull out chair that squeaks every time I breathe. No complaints though. I miss my boys, but I know I'm where I need to be.
Anyway, being in the hospital has given me a lot of down time. I should have been smarter and used some of it for catching up on thirty-one stuff, but mostly I've been reading. The day before I came to Arizona, before I even knew I was coming, I had picked up the paperback of this book.
I really had no interest in reading The Hunger Games until I saw the trailer for the new movie when I went to see Breaking Dawn.
It gave me chills. I knew I'd want to see the movie, and since I love to read, I always want to read the book before the movie. The book always has more detail and I just prefer to do it in that order. Anyway, I flew through The Hunger Games, and I immediately went and got the second and third book (Catching Fire and Mockingjay). I really, really loved these books. These are the kind of books that even people who "hate" reading could really fly through because you just can't put them down. All of that said, I was a little disappointed in the ending of the series. I won't give anything away, but I guess my disappointment was that until the last page, things were very up in the air and unfinished, and the author wrapped things up in just the last few paragraphs. There is an epilogue that made me a little happier about the ending, but I still feel she didn't do the story justice with such a swift ending. I was left wanting more, and I really think there could have been one or even two more books.
This made me think about how disappointed I was with the show LOST. Real fans of LOST, and I mean the faithful viewers who watched every single week, were torn about the ending, and we were even in disagreement in my own household, but I was so disappointed with the ending of LOST. There were so many unanswered questions and I don't think the directors knew the ending as they wrote the episodes. Basically, I feel like it was a cop out ending. You know, like when you watch a TV show and then at the end of the episode it was all a dream, imagine giving years to watching a show and it's over like that. Just disappointing.
Overall, I wouldn't discourage anyone from watching LOST or reading The Hunger Games trilogy, but I was just left wanting more from both. So, what about y'all? Has anyone read these books or watched LOST? What about any other books? Have you been left wanting more or were you disappointed with the ending of something? Let's try not to spoil anything, but give me some insight. Likewise, what books would you recommend are worth the time because the ending is so satisfying? I'm looking forward to reading your comments!
Anyway, being in the hospital has given me a lot of down time. I should have been smarter and used some of it for catching up on thirty-one stuff, but mostly I've been reading. The day before I came to Arizona, before I even knew I was coming, I had picked up the paperback of this book.
I really had no interest in reading The Hunger Games until I saw the trailer for the new movie when I went to see Breaking Dawn.
It gave me chills. I knew I'd want to see the movie, and since I love to read, I always want to read the book before the movie. The book always has more detail and I just prefer to do it in that order. Anyway, I flew through The Hunger Games, and I immediately went and got the second and third book (Catching Fire and Mockingjay). I really, really loved these books. These are the kind of books that even people who "hate" reading could really fly through because you just can't put them down. All of that said, I was a little disappointed in the ending of the series. I won't give anything away, but I guess my disappointment was that until the last page, things were very up in the air and unfinished, and the author wrapped things up in just the last few paragraphs. There is an epilogue that made me a little happier about the ending, but I still feel she didn't do the story justice with such a swift ending. I was left wanting more, and I really think there could have been one or even two more books.
This made me think about how disappointed I was with the show LOST. Real fans of LOST, and I mean the faithful viewers who watched every single week, were torn about the ending, and we were even in disagreement in my own household, but I was so disappointed with the ending of LOST. There were so many unanswered questions and I don't think the directors knew the ending as they wrote the episodes. Basically, I feel like it was a cop out ending. You know, like when you watch a TV show and then at the end of the episode it was all a dream, imagine giving years to watching a show and it's over like that. Just disappointing.
Overall, I wouldn't discourage anyone from watching LOST or reading The Hunger Games trilogy, but I was just left wanting more from both. So, what about y'all? Has anyone read these books or watched LOST? What about any other books? Have you been left wanting more or were you disappointed with the ending of something? Let's try not to spoil anything, but give me some insight. Likewise, what books would you recommend are worth the time because the ending is so satisfying? I'm looking forward to reading your comments!
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