a happy heart

• Husby brought lunch to school today. He has class until late tonight, so it was a treat to eat with him during the day. I emailed him a disclaimer this morning that eating at a school means noise. I hoped that he didn't have hopes of gazing into each others eyes. Instead of a quiet lunch, recalling the reasons why we love each other, we sat at the teacher's table during middle school lunch, sharing sushi and fruit kebabs. Then he gave me a fun necklace. Note to Husby: I love my initials. :)
• I love that my job means celebrating with students who receive acceptances from colleges. It's such an exciting time in a young life, and each acceptance is thrilling. But when it's the first acceptance, it's even sweeter. I love cheering and congratulating and hugging kids who hear the news while at school. They're on cloud nine for the rest of the day. Today was a day of celebrating...with my student aide, no less.
• I attended a George Washington Tea today hosted by the Daughter's of the American Revolution. The ladies in attendance had classic Southern double-names like Mary-Ruth and Ann Leigh, and there was also Eugenia and Agnes. I obviously didn't receive the memo that these ladies wear red or black or white skirt suits with beige pantyhose and pumps to match the suit.
• I'm not a member of DAR. A student competed in an essay contest, and I was invited to attend as her guest. After attending the event, she thought that maybe her essay didn't win since it focused on the American Indian take on the Revolutionary War. These ladies are very pro-Revolutionary War. I'm sure they didn't quite appreciate her different thoughts on this war. Oops.
• Tonight, I'm sitting by the fire, watching a little Big Bang Theory and reading. Nothing says "Happy Valentine's Day" like Sheldon and Country Living.

• My mother-in-law is the cooking baking queen. Seriously. All of her cookies are fabulous. A couple of years ago, she "messed up" a recipe. Well, it's turned out to be my favorite cookie. And they just happened to be in a box of cookies that she delivered earlier this evening. Along with reading, BBT and a fire, I'm enjoying these:

Top left: fluffy chocolate cookies with fluffy chocolate icing drizzled with white chocolate and topped with a cherry; Right: chocolate ganache cookies (My faves. I totally made up the name.)

Bottom left: Sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles 

celebrating: a nephew & a wedding

Today is cold and drizzly. If it were just a bit cooler, I think the snow that fell on the western and northern parts of Texas would have reached us. Instead, the slow rain has made for a grey day. It's perfect, since I'll be inside all day. The administration at our school decided to implement a winter break this school year. I'm on day four of an extended weekend, which has been long enough to be somewhat productive, but mostly lazy. I've read, played a mindless game on my phone and spent time with friends and family. Heavenly and glorious are the words to describe these days.

Over the past month, we've welcomed an amazing sister-in-law, Brooke, (from my side) and a sweet nephew, Ethan, (from Husby's side). Celebrating family and life has made our hearts warm. Even though, in the Christian life, joy should shine in all circumstances, it is nice when happiness is a result of that joy.

Our nephew is the second baby born to Husby's brother and his wife. The first baby was born into the arms of Jesus. We held his little body for a bit, and whispered promises to hold him again in heaven. After nine months of anxiously awaiting the birth of this baby, Ethan made an appearance a day earlier than the doctor's had scheduled. The tiny bundle of a baby is just over a week old. He is a joy. (But he is a no-facebook baby, which I'm taking to mean that his mama and daddy don't want his picture on the blog.)

About 3 weeks ago, Paul and Brooke had the most enchanting wedding. (Read Christine's delightful post here.) The day was perfect. In Texas, winter isn't predictable. Last year, we had a week of ice. This year, in January, the weather warmed on the weekend of their wedding, for the second weekend in a row. Although there was a nip in the air, Brooke had the foresight to provide afghans and  blankets to her guests. The ceremony was perfect: meaningful vows, scripture, poetry, and music of voices, guitar and a harmonica. My guess is that all was done in about 12 minutes; sadly, no one kept the time. Paul's goal was to beat the time of our 14 minute ceremony. We are slightly competitive, so I'm going to call it a tie unless someone provides the exact time. :)

Paul & Brooke

Brooke is so very creative. The vision she had for a vintage-y, quaint wedding day was carried out perfectly in the details. Brooke scoured all of First Monday to find vintage handkerchiefs with the intent of screen printing the order of ceremony on each. Only she discovered--after buying dozens--that handkerchiefs would be too thin for the screen-printing process. Back to First Monday, she spent hours bent over boxes, pulling out the more sturdy vintage napkins. 

vintage napkin program

photo by Christine

Although I am proud of only using flowers for bouquets and boutonnieres, Brooke avoided this cost altogether and made each of these from antique buttons. Just perfect!

button bouquets

photo by Allen Arrick

We moved from the outdoor chapel with chandeliers hanging from the trees to a rustic wedding barn. Earlier in the day, Brooke and her sweet friends and family decorated each table with antique buttons, lace, burlap, pearls, glittered branches, rounds cut from a tree, rosemary and lavender. I was also in attendance during said decorating, but these girls were fast. I provided the mimosas, which were just as important. Right? And when not all the champagne was gone before we left? I drank it. Straight out of the bottle. It reminds me of my wedding day. 

The reception was warm, comfortable and inviting. The sounds in the air were joyous: laughter, chatter, exclamation over the food and drink, convincing others to dance. It was a perfect night.

I'm proud to say that they use our photographer, Allen Arrick, who captured these fabulous images. [Here's the link to our wedding. I love my images even more. I mean, it was my wedding.]

  

the wagon, loaded with blankets for guests

table decor

the cake: ruffles with vintage buttons

a suitcase for cards

favors: handmade soap

I've shared with Brooke that her wedding was the vision I had, but couldn't figure out how to execute it. I loved every bit of it. She recommended that renewing our vows or throwing a party. The vows will stick for forever. But there's always an occasion to celebrate. A party it will be. With direction from a sister-in-law who has great vision.

merry christmas

salted caramel pecan pie

Thanksgiving rocked. Spending time with both sets of family and family friends was wonderful. Lots of fun, and even more food. For some reason--my family especially--cooks enough for everyone to eat on for the remainder of the year. And while fresh veggies get soggy when reheated, veggies in casseroles don't have the same fate. So the 5 casseroles will be nice over the next few weeks. Normally, I eat one bite of turkey as an ode to Thanksgiving, but the turkey this year was really good. I even brought leftovers from my parents. Unlike Husby's family who cooked one turkey for about 30 people, mine went for two turkeys for 15 people. Clearly, we're not the best at math. But give us some canned veggies and cream of mushroom soup, and we'll whip it up into a creamy something that doesn't taste like a vegetable.

The results are tallied, and the Salted Caramel Pecan Pie was a hit. Simply amazing. Fabulous. I made it twice. Husby and I don't even like pecan pie. But we both converted to the salted caramel variety. So, we're not unequally yoked in the pecan pie department.

I merged three different recipes (here, here and here). You should know that although I know how to make real pie crust, I don't like to make it. If I can find a press-in crust recipe, I'll do it. My apple pie has a similar, non-shortbread crust, and even non-crust lovers eat it. So, I thought that rather than rolling out the crust given in the original recipe that a brown sugar shortbread crust would be great. And it was!

Salted Caramel Pecan Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Ingredients

For the caramel filling:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

2 cups chopped toasted pecans

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup half and half

For the pie crust:

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon coarse salt

Directions

To make caramel filling: in a medium sauce pan add corn syrup, butter, half and half, sugar, and sea salt. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. While cooling, add vanilla. Once cooled, whisk in beaten eggs.

While caramel filling is cooling, prepare the pie crust. Spray pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. Cream butter and brown sugar about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add in egg yolk and salt, mix well. Stir in flour 1/2c at a time. The mixture will seem very crumbly; this is normal. Press dough into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes. While pie is in the freezer, preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 if using a glass pie plate).

Remove pie crust from freezer and place pecans in the crust. Pour caramel filling into pie pan and bake in the 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Thankful: Days 15 - 21

Wow. The past week is such a blur! I was one of three chaperones that took 45 high school juniors on a three day trip through Texas and into Oklahoma. Needless to say, I was a little pre-occupied and blogging just wasn't an option. The students were awesome. Of the 45, 34 were boys. (There really are only 9 girls in the junior class.) If you haven't been around 16 year old boys recently, let me tell you that they are 234,892 times more annoying and gross than girls of the same age. At one point, I had to yell, "QUIT FARTING ON THE BUS!" Classy, I tell you.

We made it safely home after traveling almost 800 miles, and for that, I am thankful. There were no injuries. (See: boys jumping over anything they can find.) And I've already received an email from a parent detailing how her son talked for an HOUR about the trip, and all that he learned. For that, I am thankful. Boys aren't exactly known for sharing. Plus he (and hopefully others) really LISTENED on the trip. It made the hours of planning so worth it.

After returning home in a semi-sleep-deprived state, Husby was fine with a nice dinner from the Taco Bell drive through. Super thankful for an easy-to-please husband. After a chili cheese burrito (my Taco Bell favorite) and the final two episodes of Wonderfalls, I absolutely had to go to bed. After three morning of super early alarms, the earliest a 4am, I was able to rest. Normally on days off, I'm unable to sleep late. But my body knew I needed rest. I slept 9 hours! For that I am oh-so-very thankful!

Mid-morning on Saturday, we were out the door to a very important first birthday party. This little guy is the sweet son of my BFF of southeast Texas:

Photo by Charissa Foux

Isn't that the cutest picture ever?! I was able to deliver Hayden's cake, and the boy seemed to love Cherry Laurel Butterum cake. He made his mom proud. :) I am so thankful to be able to celebrate the oh-so-important events with friends like these. 

Yesterday, we were able to have lunch with my sister-in-laws family visiting from Spain. Although there was a language barrier (my 8 semesters of Spanish in high school and college didn't really "stick"), we had an enjoyable time with them. I look forward to celebrating our tradition of Thanksgiving with them. It makes me happy to see my sister-in-law loving on her mom and niece. For that I am thankful.  

And then there was today. I decided that the best time to have two root canals done was during my week off. (Note to self: breaks aren't enjoyable when you're in pain. Use sick days next time.) I am thankful that SO FAR it hasn't reached the pain level of Wisdom Teeth Extraction 2010 or Temporary Crown Loss 2009, but it's not super fun. Probably the least fun was the shot in the hard palate. And that happened twice since I had one root canal on each side. BUT my dentist saw it fit to prescribe Valium prior to the procedure. And my 12 year hiatus from laughing gas is over. I didn't see a spinning clown the entire time. Super great! Already I've noticed a difference: I DIDN'T DOUBLE OVER IN PAIN when I drank coffee this afternoon. For that, I am thankful.

The remainder of the week involves two Thanksgiving celebrations, an authentic Mexican dinner with family, decorating for Christmas and spending time with some sweet friends. My wonderful college roommate will visit; we haven't seen each other in forever and busyness has prevented us from connecting in weeks (maybe 2 months!). But we'll enjoy sitting and talking and reading and napping and drinking hot apple cider with twinkle lights glowing in the background. It's going to be a good week. For that, I am thankful.

Thankful: Day 2

I am thankful for my family.

My parents are fantastic.

They are giving.

They are fun.

They are friends (now that I'm all grown up).

They are thoughtful.

They embarass me, sometimes.

My dad no longer wears socks with his sandals.

My mom never did wear socks with sandals. Thank goodness.

They are forgiving.

They're both amazing cooks.

They work extremely hard.

They love each other.

They love their children well.

Dad & Mom

My middle brother is getting married.

I couldn't have picked a better wife-to-be.

I'm super excited to get my very own sister-in-law.

(For the record, Husby's brother is married, but it's different that it's MY brother.

She's MY sister-in-law. Does that make sense?)

I am thankful for them both.

Paul often annoys me to no end.

Then he laughs.

Sometimes he tries to chase me with things dead or alive.

He loves getting a reaction out of me.

For years, my mom has told me to "just ignore him."

I've never done it.

He looks just like me.

I like to say he looks like a girl.

I'm not sure why he chases me with things dead or alive.

Brooke is hilarious. And funny.

She puts up with my brother.

And she loves him a lot.

Even when he comes after her with things dead or alive.

Brooke & Paul {They're using the same fabulous wedding photographer that we did.}

My Little Baby Brother (that's his preferred name) is Chad.

He's super cute.

And outdoorsy.

Just like his sister. Except I'm not outdoorsy.

Unless it means sitting outside in rocking chairs at Cracker Barrel.

He doesn't annoy me as much as Paul.

Except when he tries to act like a grown-up.

Then I remember that he's 25.

So he can have adult opinions.

He finally found a profession that he loves.

I'm super happy for him.

And super proud of him.

He has red hair.

I just got red highlights put in my hair.

I like them.

And I love him.

Little Baby Brother :)

It's March...

I cannot believe that it's March! And praise the Lord that I only have one more day until Spring Break! I think this has been the longest week ever. It just won't end. Normally, I'm not one that lives for the weekend, but for some reason I haven't been able to wait for a break.

I know that I'm about 5 days late for an Oscar post, but let's pretend that you're still interested. I went to a party hosted by someone in our Sunday school class. It was just the girls, so we were able to critique dresses, jewelry and hairstyles to our hearts' desire. Included with our invites were ballots for Oscar predictions. We were supposed to complete them in time for the party. I waited until the day of the party before completing mine. I did a little Googling as research, looking at a few people who are known to be spot on with their predictions. Turns out, I'm good at choosing those that others predicted. One of the prizes given at our party was for Best Predictor, and I won. Here's my cute trophy:

I guessed 20 out of 23 categories. Not too shabby! Especially since I haven't seen ANY of the Best Picture nominees. That's right, none. In fact, off of the whole ballot, I've only seen three: How to Train Your Dragon, Alice in Wonderland and Iron Man 2. I'm not sure where me and Husby have been over the past year, but it's not been at the theatre. We decided that we'll see two movies this weekend: The King's Speech and Gnomeo & Juliet. Over Spring Break, I plan to rent Toy Story 3 and maybe one other.

On Tuesday night, I went with a group of girls, including my mom and college roommate to see Mamma Mia on stage. I'll admit that I really wasn't impressed with the movie. In fact, I hated wasting two hours of my life seeing it. But the musical is better. It's not Wicked or Les Mis, but it's cute and entertaining. And the music is good. I've been humming several tunes over the past couple of days.

Adriane & me

Front Row: Mom, Velda, Bonnie (my 2nd mom)

Back Row: Me, Adriane, Allison (like a sister)

You wouldn't know it from the pictures, but during the musical, Allison and I both got sick. I got a migraine, and let me tell you, that's tons of fun while in a musical! Especially one with a dance scene at the end with lights going everywhere. We headed back to our house for a quick supper when it was over. Except that I couldn't really eat more than ice cream. (Don't ask why, but when I have a migraine, I often want ice cream.) When Adriane and I were in college, we found the best Blue Bell ice cream EVER. And for some reason, they no longer make Good Heavens: chocolate and vanilla ice cream with sugar cookie dough and chocolate chip cookie dough. It was so good. Last week I found this at the store:

It's cake batter ice cream with sugar cookie dough pieces. Umm...yes, please! It didn't disappoint.

(As a side note: in college, we'd also go to the nearby gas station for pints of vanilla ice cream and a candy bar. We made our own marble slab creations. Except that it was on formica at our apartment. Oh, the memories.)

(Also, we both LOVE Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies. Although we both prefer the Little Debbie Valentine's Brownies. There may have been a box of these for decoration purposes at dinner this week.)

(One more thing...I could eat my weight in Little Debbie Fudge Rounds. I know they're not classy, but they're yummy!)

Adriane and I were able to finally exchange Christmas gifts! We gave each other books. When we went to hear Shauna Niequist speak a few months ago, she recommended a cookbook that's a fun read. I'd forgotten all about it, so I was super excited to open:

I plan to read it over Spring Break. For Adriane, I found a 60 year old book about composers. (Adriane is getting her Master's in ethnomusicology, so I know she'd appreciate it.) On the inside page was a note written from one friend to another wishing her a Merry Christmas. I was able to replicate it on the facing cover. I was so excited to give her this gift. And I found it way before Christmas, so I've told her all along about her super great present. It's a good thing she liked it! I have no shame in being proud of gifts. Ha!

I'm off to a birthday dinner. A sweet girl I used to babysit is turning TWENTY. I can't believe it. She used to get so excited making a craft from empty toilet paper rolls. Now she's in college. And I'm going to have two servings of her birthday cake to make myself feel better. :)

We're There!

Whew! We made it home after a two week vacay in Europe. (You didn't even know we were away, did you? Those pre-written blog posts with pre-scheduled posting worked!) We had an AMAZING time, and have lots of pictures from Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. But I'm suffering from jet lag and really don't want to deal with the whole plugging the camera into the computer to download pictures. This week, though, it'll happen.

We arrived home on Friday evening and after greeting all of the parents who are so happy we've returned, we had a much needed meal of Mexican food. Two weeks without chips and hot sauce is almost considered blasphemy in Texas. We went to bed with full tummies and windows blacked out by plaid flannel sheets and beach towels, expecting to sleep until noon. We were up and ready to roll at 8:30.

Husby's dad took a hard fall off of a 20-foot ladder two days before we left for vacation. (He owns a window-cleaning business.) He's finished up all of his surgeries, including a new hip and an elbow with lots of screws and plates. Now, he's working to learn to build strength again and reuse all of those parts. Not easy for someone so active to be tied to a wheelchair and bed. We've spent a lot of time with him since our return.

Now, back to real life. Work starts back tomorrow. Honestly, I like routine, so I'm not dreading it that much. It's a good thing I really like my job!

I'll leave you with a funny story from our trip. While visiting a synagogue in Budapest, a guy asks me to take his picture. We had to be sneaky, since the tour guide said that taking pictures distracted her. I had to try three different times because he wasn't happy with the way he looked in the previous pictures. (I'm SO guilty of doing that!) As we walked out of the sanctuary (do synagogue's have sanctuaries?), he asked where I was from. I told him that we were on vacation from Texas. His response? Oh, you speak so well. Ha!

I hope you girls (and guys?) have a great week!

Friday Fives: 4th of July

Because I had so much fun last week with Friday Fives at Just Me and My Life, I decided to play along this week. And, really, what better topic than...

I love this holiday. Here's why...

I've celebrated Independence Day in several ways. Growing up, we celebrated the day at my grandparent's lake house. There were tons of people: family, friends, and neighbors who were in for the weekend. Of course, we had wonderful food, homemade ice cream (peach was my favorite!) and fireworks (more on those later). When I started high school, I seemed to have camp every year over the 4th. Sure, we'd celebrate with hamburgers and sparklers, but it just wasn't the same. And then in college, I was always in Romania for the summer, which meant celebrating there.

Every year, it was a little different, but one of my favorites was the time we had two British girls on our team, Emma and Rosie. After our meal of hamburgers, we had a trivia session where we proudly announced the significance of the day (because they REALLY DIDN'T KNOW). By the end of the game, these girls knew WE WERE NO LONGER PART OF THE MOTHERLAND. And really, they could have cared less. Actually, they were probably glad because we were so obnoxious that night. Ha!

My last summer in Romania, we ate at McDonald's on the 4th of July. What's more American than that? The kicker, though, was the dessert. They have the same fried apple pies that we have in the States. (Although, I've NEVER eaten one here.) That summer, they had heaven in a bowl. The pies were placed in a bowl, and then topped with soft-serve ice cream and caramel. OH. MY. GOODNESS. They were so good.

The past couple of years, we've celebrated in my in-laws backyard. We enjoy burgers off the grill and yummy desserts. Husby brings his bows and arrows with the massive target, all of which are stored in our house. Last year, I have vivid memories of hiding behind solid objects when certain people took turns at shooting those things.

Patriotic music has a very special place in my heart. After learning and performing "This Land is Your Land" in Mrs. Lindamood's 5th grade music class, hearing patriotic music just makes me smile. One of my most favorite things is the church service the weekend before Independence Day, where they play the medley of songs from all branches of the Armed Forces, and each member stands when the appropriate song is played. I get goosebumps every year!

I just love fireworks! It's pretty much a requirement to see them. The least fun 4th of July celebration are those without fireworks. I love to say, "Oh, those are my favorites. Never mind, those are my favorites," for the entire fireworks show.

Typically, I'm not your girl who dresses for the holiday. I don't wear Christmas sweaters or have Halloween socks. BUT I usually color-coordinate for this special holiday. This year, I plan to wear my denim skirt with a [still to be bought] red shirt. Last year, I wore a navy blue dress with a rope belt, but the wedge heels were a little more than uncomfortable on the 1/2 mile we had to walk to the fireworks show. This year, I'll be a tad more practical. I think.

If you haven't noticed, I do like the food on the 4th. I so enjoy grilling out. Since we don't have a grill at our house, this is like a freebie grill-out session. Hamburgers and brats are on the menu. I'll contribute the apple pie. (What's more American than that?!) Although it'll be for dinner, I think I might start a new tradition and have apple pie for 4th of July breakfast.

What about you, what are your favorites for the 4th? Play along!

With Hope

Since my last entry, life has changed. It's been a whirlwind. On Saturday night, our first nephew was born into the arms of Jesus. It's been a tough five days. Today, we said goodbye to Marcos Ian. As the service ended, we stood around the tiny grave and rain--that we haven't seen in a month--poured and poured. As though heaven was crying with us. At the same time, it seemed so refreshing. It seemed like some of the sorrow we've felt was washed away. 

We know that our God is a God of plans. Though we don't fully know the purpose of Marcos' short life on earth, we know that it was purposeful. Our God is a purposeful creator of life. Although we're grieving his loss, we have hope that we'll see him again. We know that God is loving and merciful. We know that in Matthew, he called children to him. Children are special to our Savior.

As we continue to grieve and begin to heal, I have a feeling that this song will be quite fitting.

With Hope 

Lyrics by Steven Curtis Chapman

This is not at all how

We thought it was supposed to be

We had so many plans for you

We had so many dreams

And now you've gone away

And left us with the memories of your smile

And nothing we can say

And nothing we can do

Can take away the pain

The pain of losing you, but ...

We can cry with hope

We can say goodbye with hope

'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no

And we can grieve with hope

'Cause we believe with hope

There's a place where we'll see your face again

We'll see your face again

And never have I known

Anything so hard to understand

And never have I questioned more

The wisdom of God's plan

But through the cloud of tears

I see the Father's smile and say well done

And I imagine you

Where you wanted most to be

Seeing all your dreams come true

'Cause now you're home

And now you're free, and ...

We have this hope as an anchor

'Cause we believe that everything

God promised us is true, so ...

So we can cry with hope

And say goodbye with hope

We wait with hope

And we ache with hope

We hold on with hope

We let go with hope

Now, let's talk Thanksgiving

A blog that I really enjoy is Kelly's Korner. Every Friday, she has a "Show Us Your Life Feature." Up until now, I haven't participated; I've just found some great ideas for recipes and decorating. Since I'm in a holiday spirit today, I thought I'd participate in this one: Thanksgiving Recipes and Traditions.

Thanksgiving for my family is a little different than the typical family. My mom and her best friend, Bonnie, have owned a restaurant, The Cherry Laurel, for almost 20 years. (Wow, that makes me feel old.) Our families are super close, and you rarely hear of the Ingram's going anywhere without the Wilson's, and vice verse. We do all of our holiday's together. And it's so much fun.

For our families, Thanksgiving means cooking. Cooking for dozens and dozens of people. The day before, Bonnie's daughters, Ashley and Allison, and I join our mom's and their employees for hours of cooking. It's exhausting. Last year, I made 16 pie crusts. And it was my first time to ever make pie crust. I usually make the apple pies and a good portion of the casseroles.

Although I love everything on the table at Thanksgiving (well, everything BUT the turkey), I don't know that it'd be Thanksgiving with Strawberry Pretzel Salad.

I know what you're thinking. Why would you ever put salad on your Thanksgiving plate?! Well, let me tell you, it's not salad. For those of you who grew up with grandmother's who had to have a salad with a meal, you know that salad usually means something sweet-ish with Cool Whip, Jell-o pudding powder and marshmallows. And this is a kicked-up version of that salad. Kicked-up because it's salty and sweet, which I L.O.V.E. And even though it's sweet, you still eat it with the meal, not dessert. But since it is sweet you can eat it with the meal AND dessert. It's so good that you'll want it twice. Guaranteed.

Just a disclaimer: this recipe has been published in every church cookbook since 1943. Or sometime around there. I wish I could say that you're getting a Cherry Laurel secret, but you're not. The secret is that we use church cookbooks every now and then. And they rarely disappoint. Those church ladies know how to cook! Especially if it involves Cool Whip in salads.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
2 C crushed pretzel sticks
3/4 C melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
1 C sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 6-oz. pkg strawberry Jello
2 C boiling water
2 10-oz. pkgs frozen strawberries, partially thawed

Mix first three ingredients and press into the bottom of a 9"x13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees, 8 minutes. Let cool completely. Beat sugar and cream cheese. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over pretzels. Mix Jello in water until dissolved. Add strawberries. Stir Jello and strawberry mixture and set aside for 10 minutes. Pour over cream cheese. Chill until Jello is completely set.

My Prince has Come

After years of wondering who I'll marry, and sometimes wondering if I'll marry, now I know. And it's exciting. I'm engaged to marry my best friend. It was so worth the wait. (Ironically, my new last name will be 'Wait.' Did God have that planned or what?!)

Last year for my birthday, Jeremy gave me a hot air balloon ride. Many attempts to balloon came and went as we seemed to schedule our ride only on days where they weather wouldn't cooperate. Finally, he was able to schedule a ride for my birthday. His plan was to propose on the balloon. But it was cancelled. I was able to choose my birthday activity. I decided on dinner with friends, followed by a game with just the two of us. Quick side note: Jeremy & I both are fiercely competitive. I knew that it would have to be a game that requires no strategy, just pure luck; I chose LIFE. It's always been a favorite. I don't know how many games of LIFE I've played or how many 'husbands' I've named, but it was always our stand-by.

Dinner on my birthday lasted longer than expected. It certainly is a great problem to enjoy friends too much to say goodbye. Instead, he took me home and gave me my present: tickets to see Wicked, the most fabulous musical I've ever seen. (I just feel that making that proclamation is important. I waiver between Wicked and Les Mis. But for now, the clear front-runner is Wicked.) Little did I know that our missed balloon ride and game would offer Jeremy the perfect opportunity to propose.

The next night, Jeremy reminded me that we didn't get to play LIFE. I suggested it be our Friday night activity. After all, isn't that what all young couples do? Friday night came to pass. After dinner with friends, Jeremy came over to my house with the game. As we began playing, we chose our cars and took the college route. I arrived at the 'Get Married' square first--this is a required stop. I picked a little blue guy out of the box lid and placed him in the car next to me. I made a comment like, "Hmm...I wonder who I'll marry?" He smiled and spun the wheel. It was his turn to get married. As I turned to get a little lady out of the box, I said, "Do you want a wife?" When I turned back to him, Jeremy had the ring box out and waiting. After letting me giggle for what seemed like 45 minutes, he asked if I would marry him, on one knee, of course. I was beyond ecstatic.

We didn't finish the game that night. We talked and prayed and called people and talked and texted people and laughed and talked for about three hours. It was a great night. And so creative. I love this man who will be my husband. I can't Wait for our forever to begin.

Pi(e) Day

I love traditions. I love holidays and the traditions they allow, but I also love creating traditions that will someday be special to my family. Growing up, we were banned from all sugar cereal, except for our birthday, when we were able to choose whichever sugar cereal we wanted. As the oldest child and a natural people-pleaser, I usually chose my mom's favorite, Cocoa Krispies. I'm sure it was because my taste was very limited; I just trusted that Cocoa Krispies was the best choice. Once I left for college and experienced the "wall of cereal" in the cafeteria, I discovered that my favorite is Cap'n Krunch. Yes, Cap'n Crunch. The cereal that mutilates the top of the mouth until a Crunch Callous is formed.

I know that birthday cereal will be a tradition that continues for my kiddos, but there are others in the works. Yesterday was Pi Day. That's right, March 14 translates to 3.14. So, Jeremy & I celebrated Pi(e) Day, along with our 15 month anniversary. Together, we ran errands, including a stop for groceries. On the list: ingredients for homemade chicken pot pie and coconut cream pie.

Once home, we started cooking. First up was the Best Ever Coconut Cream Pie. The only modification to this recipe was the crust. Both Jeremy & I preferred a graham cracker crust on this pie. Since it had to chill for two hours, we wanted it ready to eat when we were done with our meal. (We both love dessert!) Can I tell you, it was amazing coconut cream pie?

Best Ever Coconut Cream Pie

Next on the agenda was the amazing Chicken Pot Pie. Now, there are quite a few steps to this masterpiece, and it usually takes me a little longer to cook a new recipe. Thankfully, Jeremy enjoys cooking, and we really like being in the kitchen together, so division of labor helped on this one. We made a few modifications: added sauteed mushrooms, fresh rosemary, and fresh thyme; we also used store-bought pie crust. After an hour of chopping, seasoning, and cooking, and an additional hour of baking, we pulled it out of the oven, and attempted to carefully eat it without causing third degree burns to our mouths.

The finished product.

The yummy inside.

Our next celebration is just around the corner; we're having an Irish meal for St. Patrick's Day. It's so much fun to have traditions scattered throughout the year! It adds a spark to a dull or frustrating week. Do you have a tradition that you enjoy? What tradition would you start?

Give Thanks

I love Thanksgiving. It has always been my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving isn't commercialised; it can't be. It's about family and surrounding oneself with those you love. This was my first Thanksgiving to spend with a new family. After stressing about whose family Jeremy & I would visit first, and whose would have to wait, mine decided to postpone until Sunday. Jeremy & I were so happy that each family would have plenty of us, and that disappointment would be spared for this holiday!

A few days before, I asked what I could bring to their family Thanksgiving. One request hadn't been filled: blueberry pie. So when asked if I could make a blueberry pie, I obliged. Now, I'm not much of a baker. Having grown up with a baker, I always relied on someone else to make what I needed. But I was sure that I could pull off a blueberry pie. I practiced making pie crust at my mom's bakery, about twenty. Thanks to a friend who had a tried & true recipe, I was successful, lattice top, and all! My pie even made it to centerstage on the dessert table.

My very first lattice-top pie

Today was Thanksgiving with my family. Because we own a restaurant and bakery, holidays are even more chaotic for us. We cook and cook and cook until the wee hours of the morning, and then we're exhausted on the holiday. Postponing for a few days made for a much more enjoyable holiday. For our Thanksgiving celebration, I made a crumb-top apple pie, and it was a hit.

Both celebrations of Thanksgiving were filled with wonderful family, friends and food. Our first Thanksgiving was a success; here's to many more!

Our House is a Very, Very Fine House

I love my house. It's a house that I've dreamed of making my home. It's old and big, even though it's been divided into a duplex. It's in the Brick Streets District, just a couple streets away from the Azalea District. It has wood floors with high ceilings and grand moulding in the living room. I love it.

Growing up, I remember my mom talking about her house when she was a child. I loved that her home had wood floors; our house had carpet. She recalled stories about waking up on cold mornings, touching her feet to the floor and chills running through her. She had a rug beside her bed to soften the dreaded ice cold floor. I also remember how dreadful it seemed when I heard that they carpeted the floors. I couldn't believe that a work of art was destroyed with carpet and glue and staples and tack strips. The nerve! And to know that this was a trend, how absurd it seemed! I watch home improvement shows where a treasure is often found when carpet is gleefully peeled from a corner. A few days later, beautiful floors are shown in a finale, and the art of wood floors is displayed through a house.

Imagine how I felt when I walked into this house with my landlords on a day in April. I wanted to sign the rental agreement once I saw the wood floors. I could even overlook the bland, gray Berber carpet that was on the stairs and second floor because the living room and kitchen--the showcase of the house--had wood floors. One afternoon soon after moving in, my roommate called to tell me she'd peeked under the carpet, only to find wood floors throughout the house. Although excited, we knew the work required to resurface wood floors was more than the time we could give. We decided that the carpet would stay. Little did I know how much I would love the gray loops that cover the second floor.

Once cold weather sets in, the beautiful floors become the area of our home that we'd like most to avoid. They're cold! See, our house is on a pier and beam foundation, which makes it drafty underneath. We're forced to wear slippers downstairs at all times. Not only are the floors cold, but the pretty, single pane windows and supposed lack of insulation makes for a super cold house, floor to ceiling. For comfort, scarves, slippers, and gloves are added to our basket of blankets and offered to guests.

Last night was our first really cold night. I added a blanket to my bed, turned on the heater, and snuggled down for the evening. When I woke this morning, my first task was making a cup of coffee to warm up. I went to the staircase and started downstairs, and it was so cold (at least 10 degrees cooler than the entire second floor). Before my feet hit the wood floor, I ran back upstairs for my slippers. As the coffee brewed, I turned on the space heater and added a scarf to my pajamas and slippers. I dared to open the door and was greeted by a bright, sunshiny day. My coffee soon ready, I poured a cup and ran upstairs to thaw my toes. As cold weather settles in, I'm sure I'll promise not to spend another winter in a house that is drafty and cold, but I love my house. I do.