I Just Love Redneck Stuff

a Christmas tree made all from cans of Mountain Dew. That's a 2 liter on top. Awe inspiring isn't it?


Here it is lit. ps... someone else out there in internet land did this.. NOT ME!

Thoughts and A New Song

Today I had my massage. I normally wouldn't blog about this, but my thoughts during the massage were so random I thought it was funny. I had a hard time quieting my mind. There I was and the lady was massaging my feet and all I could think of was the topic of the sermon today... the lady that poured oil on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her tears and hair. Then I started thinking... I wonder what Jesus looked like. Then I thought... did Jesus have those tendril things on the side of his face? and how do the Jewish people get them to curl? What if you were a Jew that had naturally straight hair? would you get up every morning and curl those? and what are those for anyway? You see how STRANGE I really am now?

Tonight we started preparing Christmas music in choir. We are singing a song called "Some Children See Him" that I think the lyrics are really beautiful. I thought I'd share them.

Some children see Him lily white, the Baby Jesus born this night,
some children see Him lily white, with tresses soft and fair.
Some children see Him bronzed and brown, the Lord of heaven to earth come down;
some children see Him bronzed and brown, with dark and heavy hair.

Some children see Him almond-eyed, this Saviour whom we kneel beside,
some children see Him almond-eyed, with skin of yellow hue.
Some children see Him dark as they, sweet Mary's Son to whom we pray;
Some children see Him dark as they, and, ah! they love Him, too!

The children in each different place will see the baby Jesus' face
like theirs, but bright with heavenly grace, and filled with holy light.
O lay aside each earthly thing, and with thy heart as offering,
come worship now the Infant King, 'Tis love that's born tonight!

Cornucopia of Autumnal Splendor

Yesterday and today I was at a women's retreat at our church. It was good to get to know other women a little bit better. It's amazing hearing some of their stories. You just never know from the outside what people have been through. Here's a scripture that someone brought up during the retreat that I thought was beautiful.

Isaiah 40:11 "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."

When I got home Ben had bought me roses for our anniversary and also a card that made me cry. I thought we had agreed just to get cards for one another, but he arranged for me to have a massage tomorrow!! Do I have a great husband or WHAT? It's been a long time since I've had a massage.... it's going to be great. I felt bad because I just got him a card with two movie passes in it... oh, and I was given the movie passes. :)


At the ladies retreat I bid and won this cornucopia. Isn't it pretty?

Funny Bath Time

Yes, I know I filmed this wrong and you'll have to twist you head a little, but I think it's so cute and funny.

5 Years of Bliss

Tomorrow it will be five years that Ben and I have been married. The time has gone by so quickly and here I am typing with two little eyes watching me. It's amazing how life unfolds. How did I know Ben was the one for me? I always liked Ben... from the moment we met. Many of you know that we were friends for about a year before we ever dated. Since then there have been thousands of moments where I have felt so incredibly blessed to have Ben for a husband. How can I describe such an incredible and special person? He is so unique and funny and giving and just so much fun to be with. Here are a few examples of the millions (did I say thousands before?) of times I have praised the Lord that he is my partner for life...

The night a bunch of friends were playing charades and his thing he wrote in for someone to act out was "a jelly doughnut on a ferris wheel." Still crackes me up thinking of it.

praying together or him helping me put my new windshield wipers on or sharing our faith on campus together.

our first date when we went to Bangkok Bangkok and sat on little pillows on the floor.

him asking me to marry him after two months of dating... boy, was I shocked.

Our honeymoon in Rome. Incredible.

living through hurricanes, huge frogs at our door, mosquitoes, and dancing salsa in Miami.

moving via horse trailer to Missouri and then finally to Kansas.

me calling him at work and telling him the pregnancy test was positive and him making me go to the store to buy more and test again.

us seeing our baby Gwen for the first time.

him supporting me staying at home with Gwen.

PS... today Gwen and I took a walk outside and I put on a hat that I had bought her. Um... it's a little too big for her just yet, but I got a good laugh out of how it looks on her. I think it looks like a chef hat or something. See what I'd be missing if I wasn't home with her?

Historic Election

Gwen voted pro-life.

Grilled Shrimp

If you are like me, in the past you have not been sure if you like shrimp. Well... after making this recipe you will forever be a shrimp lover!! This is a very easy recipe and we love it.

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 C olive oil
1/4 C tomato sauce
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T chopped fresh basil (I use 1T dry)
1/2 tsp salt or salt substitute for the low sodium people out there like us
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or a little more if you like kick)
2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
skewers

In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, and red wine vinegar. Season with basil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add shrimp to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated.

Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice.

Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, (I use metal skewers) piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.

Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp on preheated grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until pink all the way through. We serve ours with rice.

Weekend O' Fun

This weekend we have really enjoyed the weather. I just love fall time with the leaves and crisp air. I took these photos on Saturday. I think they are pretty with the leaves and the shadows. Notice the mouse in Gwen's pocket. The other day I used a gift card and bought a few clothes for her. Can you believe that I have never had to shop for clothes for her until now?


She's such a happy baby. (most of the time)


Today Gwen was dedicated at church. In the photo is Ben, our worship leader, and of course Ben and I. It was really special.


As a part of the dedication they gave us a certificate and a little pink New Testament with her name engraved on it. Here she is holding her first Bible.


Ok... meal plan for this week:

grilled pork chops, orzo w/ Parmesan and basil (made last night)
grilled shrimp, rice, and green beans (made tonight)
chicken merlot and curried cous cous
baked tilapia, cooked carrots, creamy broccoli with cashews
slow cooker beef stew
homemade pizza (didn't make it last week)

* special- strawberry tea cookies and I'm starting the 10 day Amish Friendship Bread starter to have for Thanksgiving time. :)

JUST VOTE

This is so cute! Everyone, let's make sure to vote.

Halloween 08

Let me start this blog by telling you a very scary true tale. Last night Gwen didn't go to sleep until after 1am and today she slept maybe 1 hour total. You can imagine. I tried to sleep today...but it just didn't happen. So... I'm not sure if there is something in the gravitational pull of the moon or something... but...

Here's the flag. Aren't you proud you're an American? I am.


Ben and I took a stroll around the block because we heard about this family that builds a haunted boat thing out of their house. Wow! People are into Halloween or something in KS!


this is the no makeup, no sleep look. That's my Halloween disguise. A relative of Ben's sent me a hand-me-down Tigger outfit for Gwen to wear. I have to admit... it is cute.


Here are my two pumpkins. When Ben saw this photo he said, "woo... it looks like somebody took a chainsaw to that pumpkin." I just gave him the look. (you know what I mean ladies)


Look how small she looks in this photo.



After dressing up and wandering around the neighborhood I took off her tigger outfit in preparation for her bath she gets before bed time. I took off her diaper and was walking over to the sink and felt something warm. You guessed it folks... she peed on me! That just caps off the day doesn't it?

This is her getting ready for her bath... thoroughly pleased with herself.

Art

Da Vinci

Van Gough

Barreth

By the way, it's supposed to be a waving flag. Very festive this election year don't you think?

Just Everyday Life

Remember that tropical banana tree? Well... it didn't fare so well in the first frost of the season. Ben has since cut it down and it's supposed to come back in the spring. We'll just have to wait and see.

Gwen is being dedicated at church on Sunday... so Ben and I were talking about the verse that we are praying for her. Our church displays the verse and a picture of her and then there is a prayer for her. This is probably sacrilege, but we were goofing around and Ben said, "how about one of those strange dreams in Daniel... like the seven headed goat opened its mouth and fire came out." After I got through laughing I told him that the seven headed goat is definitely not Biblical. Anyway... here's the scripture we have decided on, and the picture we've decided on. We just need to crop the picture a bit.

Psalm 119: 73-74
"Your hands have made me and fashioned me;
give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
Those who fear You will be glad when they see me,
Because I have hoped in Your word."

See any similarities?

Plethora of Topics

We've had quite a full weekend. Gwen's Pawpaw (Ben's dad) came up from Miami to see her and her Great Uncle and Aunt... Bob and Suzanne. It has been so nice catching up with them.

Here we are in a Chinese buffet place today.


Ray, Bob and Suzanne


Saturday we went to the market down town. Gwen liked looking at all the fruits and vegetables and interesting people.


She had her little cap on Saturday. It was a little cold. Doesn't she look precious? That's because she IS.


Pawpaw Barreth and Gwen Rebekah


I got a chuckle from this cartoon this week.

And finally, my meal plan for the week. Still no scallops this week. I may throw in some goulash on Halloween. I've always wanted to make goulash on Halloween because of the name. Yes, I know... dorky.

chicken curry pot pie (still haven't made it from last week)
grilled shrimp, baked potato, green beans or salad
homemade pizza
meatloaf, corn pudding, tomatoes (made last night)
grilled cheese, tomato soup

7 Facts

OK, so I have been tagged by my friend Joy to list 7 strange or weird facts about myself. I'll see what I can muster up for you all.

1. In college I had a bed that was once a military bed and had a sign on it that said "no smoking in bed." I thought that was way cool. Like my trendy lingo?

2. Once I was pulled over by the police for going too slow.

3. I grew up drinking goat's milk.

4. I once had a VW Beetle and I still miss that thing.

5. I love talking to elderly people about how they grew up.

6. I love the way Gwen snores... it's so cute.

7. I can not stand for animals to be in my bedroom. I guess I'm not really a pet person. In my mind they shed, claw, gnaw, and pee on your stuff.

Today

What a sweetheart. Notice the pacifier is never too far from her. I love that thing... and that little girl.

look at those legs!


We've found Rusty's long lost father. Actually, that's my brother's Halloween mask. I told him it looks like an angry mountain man. I dared him to order his veggie sub at Subway with that on. Tonight Preston asked me for my sewing kit to sew on a button on some pants. I asked him if I could film it and he said no. Shucks...

One More

The other night I asked Ben one of those questions that men "just love" to answer. I asked him what his greatest fear was and with no hesitation he replied, "falling off a cliff onto a bed of spikes, naked, while on fire."

Funny Snippets

Last night Ben put Gwen in her crib and he came into our room and explained how he coordinated the landing of her in the crib with complicated hand switching and rocking and singing all going on at the same time. I laughed when he said "yeah... it was Edelweiss all the way baby!"

One night I was majorly sleep deprived and acting silly. Ben was propped up in bed reading one of his science fiction books he enjoys. He had told me this book reminded him of Lord of the Rings... so I asked him "is this book about a ring?" He asked me to repeat myself three times before he understood what I said. He thought I said "can we have a bookerbatering?" That doesn't even makes sense, but I found it hilarious. I laughed until I cried.

Meal Plans and Recipe

I like to cook. I enjoy trying new things. My friend Leah has a site telling everyone what her meal plan is for two weeks at a time. I enjoy looking at it and seeing what's for dinner at their house that night. It also gives me ideas for meals and recipes. I get a lot of my recipes from friends or family and magazines, so I don't have links to all of my recipes... but I've decided to post my meal plan for you all to read and if you are interested in a recipe I'll gladly send it your way. How's that? Maybe it will be interesting to someone as to what I cook for a person on a low sodium diet. Basically, I can use salt substitute and also I look for canned goods with "no salt added" and that makes a big difference.

It's not on my meal plan, but I've been wanting to try cooking with scallops. I've never eaten them and they just look interesting. Too bad they're like $11 a pound or something crazy like that. So... if you've eaten scallops let me know if it's even worth it. I do meal plans only one week at a time.

Sat- family gathering... I made chili, rice crispy treats, peanut butter chex mix
Sun- leftovers
Mon- creamy orzo with baked chicken, cucumbers
Tues- black bean and corn quesadillas, salad
Wed- stuffed peppers
Thurs- chicken curry pot pie
Fri- chili (again) :)

* Back ups... I always have back up meals in case I just can't get to the store. I usually have potato soup as a back up and also spaghetti on hand as a back up.

Here's the recipe for the quesadillas. It's super easy and good!

2 tsp olive oil
3 T finely chopped onion
1 Can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 Can whole kernel corn, drained (or I use the can that the black beans came out of and use frozen corn)
1 T brown sugar
1/4 C salsa (or if I don't have that I just put in some spices like cumin, chili powder, oregano, and basil and cayenne pepper)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 T butter, divided
flour tortillas
shredded colby/jack cheese
sour cream

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened, about 2 min. Stir in beans and corn, then add sugar, salsa, and pepper flakes- mix well. Cook until heated through, about 3 min.

Melt a pat of butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Put a tortilla in there, put a little cheese on there and then some of the bean mixture and then I either fold it over (if I have the larger burrito sized flour tortillas) or put another tortilla on top like a sandwich. Push it down with a spatula so the cheese will glue it together. Look under there after a few minutes and see if it's browned and then if it is flip it over and cook on the other side. Cut with a pizza cutter and then eat with sour cream.

4 Months

I bought these pumpkins today. When Ben saw them he said he automatically wanted to take out a baby wipe and wipe the cracks on these. :)


We had family over today and here is Ben's Grandpa and Gwen.


She is able to go up on her elbows now. Look at that face! What am I going to do when I have to tell her no? (um... tell her no of course)



Gwen is now four months old. She saw the doctor Friday and she weighed in at 14 pounds and was 24 3/4 inches long. She is finally into a schedule of naps and bedtime after just a few days of working on that. She takes naps at 10, 12:30, and 3... and then goes down for bedtime at 7:30. We love her so much!