Popovers

I made popovers for breakfast the other day.  Warm, fluffy, delicious popovers.  Though they were too well done (still figuring out just how hot our oven bakes), they were fabulous.  Chris hadn't ever had them before, and I loved being able to introduce him to them.

Popovers remind me of life 15 years ago, when it was a special treat the day mom decided to make them.  I was  then (as am I now) amazed at how they rise and get hollow just like that.  No baking soda, no baking powder...they just rise.  I'm sure there's some scientific explanation as to how and why they work the way they do, but I don't know it. And you know what? I'm okay with that.  Some things are just better left unknown.

Mondays With My Best Friend

Young Ladies Christian Fellowship is quite possibly the blog I've been reading the longest--I've been a visitor since before it was a blog and the girls there just posted articles.  They recently ran a 'Day in My Life' series that I, lover of people and their lives, found quite fascinating.  I love reading about people and their normal, everyday lives.  I know, I know...simple minds, simple pleasures.  Anyway, they're running a festival of 'Day in My Life' posts, so naturally, I had to participate, because my life is so incredibly interesting. ;)

Normally, I'm not a fan of Mondays, but I decided to do my 'day in my life' today because it seemed to hold the most interesting activities of my week. ;)

My husband, Chris, and I have been married just over a month; he works as a mechanical designer for an airplane company, and I am currently staying at home, job hunting and being a housewife.

The alarm goes off at 5:50, but Chris quickly hits snooze and we snuggle for a few minutes. :)  He gets up to take a shower but I stay in a bed a few more minutes.  I didn't sleep well last night and am still tired.  Once he's out of the shower, he reminds me that I really do need to get up, so I do that, shower, grab some yogurt as he finishes his breakfast and Bible reading and we hop in the car.

After dropping him off at work, I head to Fred Meyer for some grocery shopping.  I seriously love shopping at 7:15 am with all the retired people!  It doesn't take long and I'm excited because even though I bought a few things that weren't on my list, I was still $2 under budget.  One thing I realized when I got home was that I need eggs for dinner (slow cooker mac and cheese) but I was planning to buy those at Costco later as it's near Chris' work, and by the time I do that it will be too late to make mac and cheese.  Plan B is pizza, so I pull some homemade dough out of the freezer and hope it will thaw in time.  (Later investigation reveals that it has!)

Upon arriving at home and putting away my groceries, I catch up on e-mail, etc. and read my Bible and journal.  We're in the midst of painting around here--all the walls and most of the trim are a not-so-pretty mauve/tan-ish, and I'm thankful we are able to paint even though we rent.  Saturday we painted the bathroom light blue so I do some touchups on that while listening to some music from Mars Hill Church in Seattle (I love me some hymns!).

While letting the paint try, I work on this blog post and do some more job hunting.  A childcare place wants me to fill out an application...woohoo!

I work on the trim next.  It's a bit slow in some spots (it's pretty narrow) but once I get a second coat on some that's already dried, it looks good.  Then I text Chris during his lunch to see how his day is going and have some tuna fish and crackers (Parmesan basil Wheat Thins, to be exact).  One of my friends from college just had a baby, so I check out the photos on facebook and look online at Target for a new shower curtain.

Back to painting!  The trim almost got the better of me, but I was victorious in the end.  I think.  I clean up the painting supplies, do some dishes, empty the trash, etc., before getting my list and heading to Costco.

I'll just come out and say it--I heart Costco.  Even when they disappoint me and don't carry lentils.  That, teriyaki sauce and real bacon bits are all I didn't find, though when I pick Chris up from work, he informs me that the Yoshida's sauce I got is the same thing as teriyaki.  Apparently I don't read bottles closely enough.  We head home, driving past our dream house.  It's for sale, too, we just don't have the money to buy it. :(

Once we're home, we put away the Costco purchases and Chris works on painting while I dust, pay bills and update this blog.  We only have one good paintbrush, which is probably a good thing as he's much better with a brush than I am.  Much better.

It's a sunny, crisp fall day, so we go for a quick walk (my fault that it was so short....I didn't wear a good coat) before coming home and making pizza for dinner.  While it's baking, we start a game of Monopoly and continue it during dinner.  I've never been very good at Monopoly, but I've learned a few tricks from Chris and it pays off as he owes me $600 by landing on New York with three houses...and only has $300 after mortgaging all he owns.  I love my husband...and I definitely love beating him in Monopoly. :)

After the game is over, he does the dishes (yes, I am spoiled!) and we get ready for bed.  It's early but we're both tired.  We had plans to read The Jungle Book outloud (we started it on our honeymoon) but instead we  get into bed and pray before falling asleep.  It's been a pretty ordinary day, but when you're married to the man of your dreams, every day somehow seems extraordinary.

And We're Back!

I didn't realize it had been over a month since my last post. Husband > blogging.  Our wedding was wonderful (pictures and a more detailed post to come) and our honeymoon was so restful, despite the fact that we kicked it off with a flat tire (it's a funny story, I promise, and NOT our fault. Really). We're now in Yak-town, getting settled and trying to be healthy again (it's not swine flu. At least, it better not be. I made fun too much of the pandemonium surrounding H1N1 to actually contract it).

Hopefully my blogging will be more regular now that I have a working computer (well, a husband with one), a house with Internet and am no longer planning a wedding or moving and currently don't have a job outside the home. (And I wonder why I was so tired the last four months...)

We're enjoying our first change of season in a land with (count 'em) FOUR seasons. Yesterday brought three boxes of apples and a box of pears into our house, some of which have been dried and more of which will be frozen.

I had about three or four days of good meals planned, and then I got hit with the cold/fever bug and haven't been cooking much since then, but hopefully I'm on the mend and will be cooking again like a normal person. Not going to lie--being a wife so far is very fabulous. Of course, the reason it's so fabulous is because of my husband, but I'll spare you all that newlywed stuff. ;)

Things No One Told Me

When we got engaged, I never realized…

--I’d become Queen of Gift Cards (there are 6 in my wallet right now)

--nearly every conversation I’d have with my mother would be about the wedding

--exactly how much goes into planning a wedding (hint: it’s a LOT)

--that I do indeed have an opinion on paper vs. plastic plates

--I’d go to the mall more times in the last 4 months than I have in the last 24 years of my life

--we’d feel so loved by everyone…seriously, between all the bridal showers, cards and people offering to help, I have never felt so loved

--this day would actually come. Unless a) Jesus comes back or b) one of us dies, we’ll be married on Saturday! J

North! Or Be Eaten

If I wasn’t in the throes of wedding planning and moving, I’d be curling up (or laying out, as the weather dictates) with Andrew Peterson’s newest book, North! Or Be Eaten. It looks to be a good, fun book and I look forward to having a chance to read it.

Here's the description:

Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby, mom Nia, ex-pirate grandfather Podo, Peet the Sock Man, and trusty dog Nugget flee north to rebel headquarters.

Their escape brings readers to the very brink of Fingap Falls, over the Stony Mountains, and across the Ice Prairies, while villains galore try to stop the Igibys permanently. Fearsome toothy cows and horned hounds return, along with new dangers: a mad man running a fork factory, a den of rockroaches, and majestic talking sea dragons.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Some girls change everything when they get married—last name, job, house, church, location, etc. While that certainly sounds fun and adventuresome, I was glad that there would be some familiar things in my life after getting married (church, and job, mostly). Ha. God has a sense of humor. With one swish of the pen, we’re moving! Now I’ll be one of “those” girls getting a new last name, address, church, job, bank, marital status (!!!), friends (hopefully there will be some of those), grocery store…everything. I’ll even have to learn to drive in the snow. (Y-town, beware!)

While it’s definitely sad to be leaving B-town (I’m pondering having our families and church as well as the mountains, ocean, parks and my favorite French bakery & café move, too), Y-town holds a sense of excitement as we embark on a host of new adventures. It will surely be lonely (the days until I start work will be long, as Chris will be working and I’ll be unpacking), but that’s okay, because we know this is the best thing for us.

As scary as newness can be, two things are certain—God is going before us, and Chris is going beside me. And that, my friends, is all I need.

Book Review: Holy Roller

I picked this book because it’s about a demographic with which I am quite unfamiliar. I’m not black nor Pentecostal, yet the author of the book is white and raised Evangelical-ish (sounds more like what I know).

The book goes into rather great detail about the personal histories of The Body of Christ Assembly’s pastor (Frederick Eddington), his wife (Diane) and the author herself. It also examines stories of several people in the church, whose lives have been changed by Jesus.

It’s been a few weeks since I finished the book (that’ll teach me to wait to review), but I do recall the story of the church’s battle with the city to keep their land for a building. It’s a great example of the body of Christ bonding together and standing as a community.

Though I did question a bit of their theology (particularly in the areas of demon possession and gifts of the Spirit), it was an interesting read. It was also a great reminder that it’s the big things that matter—Jesus, the Gospel, etc. I don’t need to get focused on the nitpicky details like I tend to do. I have a copy to give away, so first person to say they want it gets a free copy!