Favorites

Favorite bits of the week:

Pumpkin carving…

Glowing leaves of fall…

Silly kitties in boxes…

Dinners at the table…

A thoughtful gift from Casey after he returns from a trip…

A shiny sink and a clean house heading into the weekend…

Kitties playing dead…

Cozy blankets and hot chocolate…

A finished Learn Something New journal…

Gracie’s annoyed face… apparently she didn’t like my laughing at Ellen while she was trying to cuddle…

Warm apple pie…

Looking forward to a quiet weekend at home with Casey after a night out tonight with friends from work!

Good Eats (2)

Dinner last Tuesday was not eaten at the table, but it was a delicious new-to-us recipe: Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Shells.

Dinner last Wednesday, yes at the table, was chicken ala kenny with a side of cranberry sauce and for me some broccoli.  One of my favorite meals.

Last night, dinner at the table was chicken parmigiana with a side of cottage cheese.

The centerpiece of lil’ pumpkins grown in my parents’ garden!

Not very pretty this time (the cheese got a little overdone), but super tasty!

I’m so glad we’ve met my goal the past couple weeks of eating at the table at least one night.  We haven’t spent much time there once dinner is finished, but it has been great to sit and chat between bites.

Dear Today

I wrote a letter to my adolescent self on Friday after being inspired by another blogger and in honor of Dove’s latest self-esteem movement, which asks: “What do you wish you’d known at 13?”

There was so much more I could have said looking back on who I was and how I acted back then, but I kept it simple… and really, the more I read it, the more I realize it is almost all stuff I still have to tell myself today; so much of it is things I’m still learning and still need reminding of and encouragement with.

As we get older, we become someone we’ve never been before.  It all comes together based on what we’ve been through, who we’ve known, and the choices we’ve made.  I doubt that who I am now is who I imagined I’d be when I was a teenager, but I am glad for that.  I have seen and experienced so much since then that allows me to be more than I ever could have dreamed of.

I have grown a lot in recent years, becoming someone who is in so many ways completely different than who I used to be.  I am not sad to have lost old parts of myself, because I think the new parts are better- I am becoming more aware of who I truly am, what my authentic self is all about, and that makes for a far more meaningful and joyful life.

I know I’ll continue to grow… forever.  Life comes and life goes, but if we are living based on our own values, on who we are deep down, then we are living true to who God has created us to be, which to me seems to me like the best possible way to live.

“To be nobody but yourself in a world that’s doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight.  Never stop fighting.”

~ E. E. Cummings

Dear 13 Years Ago

To My Adolescent Self,

Do not depend on others for your own happiness… especially boys! In the same regard, don’t expect to make everyone happy every moment; it’s a waste of your precious time.

Figure out what is important to you and what you love and live your life based on those things. Don’t worry if those things are different for others, because if you’re meant to be friends with someone, they’ll love you despite your differences.

You are already beautiful, so there is no reason to try to be someone or something else, no matter how cool everyone else thinks that something else is.

Life goes by fast, so spend every moment you can doing things you love and that make you happy. Share those moments with the people you love and imprint them in your brain as best you can. When struggles come along, just keep trucking; when the struggle is over, do not stew over it, but move on, be joyful, and use what you’ve learned from it to make the most of each new, glorious day!

Be kind to others and to yourself. You are always loved, so never despair. The things that seem so tragic now will be forgotten later, so keep moving forward. There is so much life to live; spend it loving, giving, and being true to yourself.

Sincerely, A Much Grown Future You

(This post was inspired by Kelle at Enjoying the Small Things and her AMAZING promotional post for Dove’s movement for self-esteem, which asks: “What do you wish you’d known at 13?”)

Good Eats

I love to cook and bake.  This fact has become more evident to me since Casey and I moved into our condo.  When we lived at our first apartment, I dabbled a bit in the kitchen arts, but it wasn’t until we got married and began living in our first non-rent home that I really got into it.

At first, I mostly made recipes I was familiar with, either because they were family recipes or just simple things like spaghetti sauce over pasta.  Gradually though, especially this past year, I’ve started to branch out.  I make a new recipe at least once every two weeks, if not more often, and keep those recipes in my repertoire if they are deemed delicious enough.

I am an extreme advocate of cooking at home.  I love the following quote from Michael Ruhlman, extracted from his blog profile: “…the world is better when we cook for ourselves.”  When you make food yourself, you know where it came from and what went into it.  Not only that, but you commit an act of love when you cook at home, because you are taking the time to carefully prepare something, whether for yourself or others.

In addition to preparing a home-cooked meal for my two-person family, I’d love to also eat dinners at the table.  Too often we eat in front of the TV and I think that takes away from our relationship.  So, I’m going to set the goal today to make a meal and serve it at the table once a week.  Starting small can equal big things, so I think it will be great!

I’ll share each week the meal I made the week before, hopefully most often something new, along with a shot of the table setting.  Seeing as I’m starting the eating-at-the-table this week, I don’t have any table setting pictures.  But, I do have a recipe for a meal I made last week: Pioneer Woman’s “Ranch Style Chicken.”  I served it with “crash hot potatoes,” topped with jalapeno pepper ketchup, and broccoli.  It was excellent and I definitely recommend it!

Bestieful

Our (Casey and my) best friends went on a cross-country road trip and this weekend they made their final stop at our house.  We were so glad they were able to fit us into their itinerary and we had a wonderful weekend hanging out with them.

They got here late afternoon on Thursday and we just lounged around, them telling stories of their awesome journey.  On Friday, we spent time at the condo, playing cards, having a few beverages, and then late Friday night, we drove into DC for Adams Morgan pizza.  Our guy friend, Will, had wanted to do that since they first made plans to stop here… before their trip even started!

On Saturday, we slept in and then went to an Oktoberfest at the Doner Bistro in Leesburg.  After that, we did some more chilling at the apartment, playing cards, drinking more beverages.  Then we went into Fairfax for dinner and dancing.

It was absolutely gorgeous outside on Saturday, though a little windy, but Sunday blew that weather away… no pun intended.  It was absolutely beautiful outside and we enjoyed it with a trip out to Skyline Drive.

After we got back, we just lounged around eating leftovers and watching TV.  We were all so pooped, some dozing happened as well I think.  Finally, it was time for bed and then they got up early and left this morning, making the final leg of their trip to Vermont.

I am so thankful they were able to stop and spend the weekend with us.  They are the bestest of friends and as always, we laughed until we cried, told fun stories, and just had a great time.

I can’t wait to see them again at Thanksgiving!

How’d It Go

I arrived at home. Changed my clothes. Got dinner started. Cut the sleeves off two t-shirts for Casey. Put a load of towels in the washer. Ate dinner (Caribbean jerk broccoli over brown rice, yum!) on the porch. Put some jewelry away that I had untangled that morning and left on the bed. Packed some summer clothes in a box, marked the box, and stored it in the guest closet. Went through some of Casey’s clothes and pulled some out for him to go through for donation. Took out chicken for dinner last night. Put chicken I bought Monday in the freezer. Cleaned the litter box. Brought down the recycling. Made salads for lunches the rest of the week. Washed the dishes and wiped down the counters. Changed the towels over to the dryer. Ate some ice cream.  Filed what needed to be filed. Finished five LSNED pages. Made a journal card for my sister. Chose supplies for Mum’s journal card to be completed tomorrow night. Folded and put away towels. Got ready for bed. Got in bed and read for awhile before going to sleep.

Hmm, I don’t see any “watched TV” in there, so I’d say no-TV Tuesday went pretty well.

Positive Thinking

I AM NOT GOING TO WATCH TV TONIGHT.

This is positive thinking. If I think it for the rest of the day, it will come true… right?

I sure hope so. There is nothing on TV I desire to watch tonight, so there is no point in sitting down in front of it, even while I eat dinner. I am determined to go home, turn on some tunes, make some food and eat it at the table to avoid the couch, complete housekeeping tasks, and then get to the fun stuff.

By fun stuff I mean some projects that are seriously calling for completion, like my LSNED journal and a birthday card for my mother-in-law, as well as some decluttering business and journal cards for my Mum and sister.

Casey has class tonight (rescheduled from last night), so that will make it much easier. He always comes home, changes his clothes, and immediately turns on the tube. I can safely say no-TV nights do not exist if he is home.

It is important to me to have this quiet night creating and filling my moments, instead of wasting them in front of some show I care nothing about. I’m really looking forward to it.

Unworldly

God is watching and guiding and He has better things in mind for you than anything you’ve ever known before.

“Do not be conformed any longer to the patterns of this world, but be renewed by the transforming of your mind.”

~ Romans 12:2 ~

(Thanks Mum for the scripture- super inspiration for today and every day!)

Mixin’ It Up a Little

I made baked macaroni and cheese tonight for dinner.  Not Nana’s (and or Martha Stewart’s but we don’t talk about that) mac and cheese like I usually do, but an add on version.

Instead of just plain old plain old, which is originally delicious, I added chopped up broccoli and then baked it in an 8x8 Pyrex with mozzarella and Italian breadcrumbs sprinkled on top.  Usually I bake it in a bowl with just a little cheese sprinkled on top.

 

I found it incredibly tasty, but Casey is not into broccoli… unless I had more thoroughly chopped it up, well essentially pureed it, so he couldn’t tell it was there.  Aw well, it was a good attempt at adding some green to a super carb meal and I might alternate making it this way and the original way, always staying true to the basic components… and of course, the special sauce.

Not Escape, Retreat

Late yesterday afternoon, the October that began crisp but sunny turned cold and gloomy.  A new storm rolled in, not meeting the resistance of muggy, summer weather like the storm last week, but instead quickly dropping the already cooled temperatures even more.

In the summer, when the rains come down and the thunder rolls, we escape indoors, scorning the precipitation, hoping it will scurry off soon so we can go back out and play in sunshine that lasts into evening.

In fall, things are different.  Instead of escaping from the rain and hoping for sunshine, we retreat indoors to cook soup for dinner before cuddling beneath blankets to sip tea and read.  We know darkness will begin to descend earlier and earlier, but we are not concerned because there is coziness to be had indoors, where twinkle lights adorn the windows and pumpkin-spice candles flicker on the kitchen counter.

Summer has had its turn, so do not wish for it back, but instead embrace the joy of wearing sweaters and warm socks again.  Without showing it contempt, let the cool rain fall and nourish the earth, giving it last breaths of refreshment before winter closes in.  Take deep breaths yourself, inhaling the glorious smells of fall, of dried leaves, apple pie, and pumpkin bread.

Autumn is a time of preparation; do not fall behind wishing for summer days already gone.

Windy Beautiful

October has started beautifully.  It rained all week, but it is absolutely gorgeous outside today.  All that remains from the storms is the wind, which is not a bad thing- it’s whisking through the beginning to change leaves on the trees, the cool breeze balancing with the sunshine beating down.

I walked to the grocery store earlier to get supplies for chili, which is simmering away in the slow cooker.  Before heading to the grocery store, I tidied up a project in the guest room and did some housekeeping.  I just finished watching a movie, decompressing, and in an hour Casey will be home.  We’ll probably spend the evening doing the usual clean off of the DVR list.

We don’t have many plans this weekend and I’m so glad.  The summer was an absolute whirlwind of activity… not that I’m complaining because it was grand to have the opportunities for travel that we did.  But I’m really looking forward to quiet fall weekends, with cooler days, sunshine in the sky and in the colors of the leaves, hearty food, and the sense of preparation for the colder months to come.