Busy Weekend

Goodness, this weekend is already bursting at the seams with activities and it hasn't started yet. We're going home a day early since Matt has his necessary furlough day tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and having fun but it's going to be exhausting! Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are already planned out with lots of busyness and errands. I can't wait to live back at home so we don't have to have such crazy weekends of errands we could do during the week, but that will be happening soon so I'll stop complaining. Friday dinner out, Saturday tea in Berlin with my family, Saturday night Hanging out with my sister, and hopefully a walk with Harley on Sunday is what I'm looking forward to most : ).

To fill the hour -- that is happiness.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Busy night...

Yay for Fridays! I think I'm easily excited but bear with me... Matt and I are goin' on a date to Outback, then we're going to Rita's to get their annual free Italian ice on the first day of spring, and after all that good food we have to go to the Tux place in the mall so Matt can get his measurements as part of his groomsmen duties. It's been an eventful week with my new job as a nanny and i'm going to enjoy the night out on the town : ).

Keep your face to the sunshine… and you cannot see the shadows. – Helen Keller

St. Patrick's Day : )

I'm only a little bit Irish so I've never actually celebrated St. Patrick's Day... though I do usually wear something green so I don't get pinched. But because I watched Martha Stewart last week and she was making Irish Soda Bread, it inspired me to make something Irish the on the "Green" day... so I made Irish Bacon and Cabbage Soup that I found on allrecipes.com to go along with Martha Stewart's Soda Bread. And of course we had to have dessert but I didn't know what the Irish have for dessert so I made the Very Best Blueberry Cobbler recipe there is (or at least that's what it claimed by it's name). I made a few changes to the soup by adding garlic and onion and it came out very tasty indeed : ), plus the soda bread was thick and had such a nice crispy crust. And as for the blueberry cobbler, it was the best blueberry cobbler I've ever made, but then again I've only made it once before ; ) so I guess I'm not a good judge of that. It was a lot of fun to put such effort into a meal and have such good results. I'll definitely have to keep celebrating St. Patrick's Day especially if it involves good food.

"Food is essential to life. Therefore, make it good."

-S. Truett Cathy-

Not so fabulous Monday...

The weekend was so full of busyness and enjoying friends and family, that it makes today seem very blah. I've lived for weekends since I was a little girl and Mondays always meant the end of all my fun and adventure and the beginning of schoolwork and chores. Even as an adult I can't get out of that mindset. I'll probably always love weekends best and have a little disdain for Mondays. But at least now that I'm a little more mature than my little girl days, I can appreciate the comfort from the routine and normalcy of returning back to "normal" life on Mondays. Mondays may be a bit af a drag for me but at least they hold the promise of a week full of spending time with my husband, finding a new recipe that sounds scrumptious, reading a good book in bed every night, and of course, looking forward to the following weekend : ).

"The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."
-Allan K. Chalmers-

Bringin' Home the Bacon

Well, good news... I'll finally be working again. : ) I met the lady today at McDonalds at noon and she and her boys were wonderful. The two boys that I'll be watching are cute as buttons and will be a joy to be around. We had our little interview while the boys were mixing their french fries into their chocolate milk making a "scrumptious" mess. The 3 yr old wants to grow up and be a Chef so I'll have fun making cookies with him. And the 2 year old seemed happy enough to do what his big brother told him to do. So I'm sure I'll have some funny little boy antics to share about in the future. They'll be a handful but at least It'll always be interesting : ). Kids are fun to be around, their innocence and perspective of the world is refreshing. I think we can learn a lot from kids, how they interact with each other and with their parents, how small things always seem to please them, and how they're so ready to trust and love a stranger.


"While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about."
~Angela Schwindt

Job!

I'm pretty excited! I'm supposed to be meeting a woman and her four kids tomorrow for a possible nanny job for the rest of the 3 months I'll be living in Bel Air. I've been worried about not having a job for some time even though Matt's job is enough, and we're not in need of more money, it's the fact that I enjoy working and being apart of someone else's life. And making a little money of my own ; ). And not feeling like a huge sack of lazy bones.
I know the chances of getting a job for 3 short months is pretty slim but by some nice chance, the lady who wants to hire me is also leaving the area in early June so if they hire me it will all work out. : ) So cross your fingers with me all day and night until I find out if her family and I are a good match.


"There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes." ~William J. Bennett, The Book of Virtues

Lovely weekend...

The weather was soooo glorious this weekend! I wish it was like this aaaaalll year long. I wouldn't get tired of it : ). Well, maybe I'd miss the warm fires at Matt's house that we have when it's bitterly cold and we want to be snug inside. But as I was saying, the weather was lovely and I feel like we got some things accomplished, like paying bills, cleaning out the car, and running some errands. We took the Miata out on the errands and put the top down (my favorite) to take advantage of the warm weather... who wouldn't? It was basically a rambling weekend and we got to be as active or as lazy as we wanted.
It's weekends like this that I start to miss home. I would have loved to take Harley (Matt's dog) or Ciara and Duke (my dogs) on a walk or go to the Creamery for the best ice cream one can get. But when I start to miss home I remind myself that we'll be back there soon, for good. : )


"Home, the spot of earth supremely blest, a dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest. "
Robert Montgomery

My beautiful orchid

My beautiful orchid
Originally uploaded by Kellie{Michelle}

An overcast Friday made brighter by my lovely flowers : )

Spring cleaning!

Since It's not spring yet, I guess it was a little early for spring cleaning. But with the snow melting and the sun giving off such a warmth, it inspired me to give the little apartment a much more thorough cleaning then I usually give it. I paid much more attention to the little nook and crannies that always give a hearty welcome to dust accumulation. The glass sliding door that opens onto the patio was given quite the shine. Now it lets the sunlight light in without it looking so dull and sad. The couches weren't forgotten; they were spruced up and shined with a few handy leather wipes. And of course the bed sheets were cleaned making them smell as fresh as spring itself.
I know the weather inspired me to clean but it was also in preparation for Matt's return. He comes home tomorrow! Being busy with cleaning and planning the menu for this weekend helped make the day disappear.
So here I am. At the end of the day, about to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa in my favorite hot cocoa mug, and finish the book I've been reading so I can finally start "A Boy in the Striped Pajamas." Pray that Matt gets home safely. : )

Tea Cup

Tea Cup
Originally uploaded by Kellie{Michelle}

Afternoon Tea

One of my new most cherished daily rituals is my afternoon "Tea". It somehow started one day when Matt came home and since it was especially cold, I had tea ready for him and me. English Breakfast tea for me: one sweet n' low, one spoon of honey, and just enough milk to cool the tea, while adding some creaminess; Sleepy Time tea for Matt: piping hot with two spoonfuls of honey plus a little extra just because. It started from there and has continued for the last couple of months. It was sort of forced on Matt but he doesn't seem to mind.
Of course since Matt has been in Chicago there has not been any conversation during Tea Time but I enjoy it all the same. Brenda livened it up a bit while she was here by insisting that we buy pecan praline biscotti dipped in chocolate to go along with our tea. It was a wonderful addition.
I know it's silly but somehow it feels refined to take time out of the day and simply enjoy a cup of tea and either someones company or one's own thoughts. Hopefully I'll keep up the ritual and it'll turn into a tradition. If not I'll have created some pleasant Tea Time memories : ).

"If you are cold, tea will warm you.
If you are heated, it will cool you.
If you are depressed, it will cheer you.
If you are excited, it will calm you."
William E Gladstone

Forever

Forever
By Amanda and Brenda

God gives me words, because none could say
The feeling that I have today.
Perfect serenity, my heart is sublime.
I've found what I've searched for all my life...

In your eyes, I see who will never hurt me.
You take my hand, and I know you won't desert me.
So here we stand; together at last, forever never sounded so beautiful.

I could never tell you what you mean,
'Cause no words would encompass 'everything'.
You were the part of me I felt incomplete without,
Once I found you, I had no doubt...

That in your eyes, I see one who will never hurt me.
You take my hand, and I know you won't desert me.
So here we stand; together at last, forever never sounded so beautiful.

So take me away,
Through fire and rain,
You're the only hand I want pulling me through.
Though trials may bend it,
Still time will not end it,
The first time I saw you, I knew...
...I knew it was you


My sister and "adopted" sister wrote this song for me shortly before my wedding. They performed it for Matt and me when we got back from our "honeymoon" weekend. As i was sitting next to my husband, hand in hand, Brenda played her guitar as Amanda sang. It was at that moment that I knew my sisters could see into my heart: the fears that crouch in the corner, the love that conquers those fears, and the certainty that God has given me a precious gift.
I don't know if Amanda and Brenda realize that they not only wrote this song for me, but also as a song of hope for themselves. I believe with all my heart that one day they'll be able to say for themselves as well as for me that "forever never sounded so beautiful".