Workday

On July 4th, the Husband and I got to work on our new place. First room of attack? The kitchen. We had some friends come over (thanks Carrie, Jon, Michelle and Vic!) and help us take off all the cabinet knobs, child safety things... and then the doors and drawers themselves. Then we sanded. A lot. There was much sanding.
That's what we had to do to get it ready to accept the paint. (A Sherwin Williams oil based, black, satin finish enamel. Excellent paint!) Well, we had real trouble getting the 'false drawers' off in front of the sink, because the tub was in the way. We're getting a new sink when the countertops are installed, so Daniel pried the sides of it up and we wedged increasingly large things underneath it so we could get the screws out!

And it was disgusting under there. Seriously disgusting. I wiped a ton of it off and we vacuumed it up, but it was rusted and there were gobs and gobs of it!

After sanding, we had to wipe everything down (twice) with mineral spirits to make sure they were all clean. It's a lot of doors and drawers! Then, the next day, we began to apply the paint! Very exciting.

Here I am, reaching to paint the back corner of the door. It's quite a stretch. Believe me, I painted the backs first after this...

All the drawers done!

Everything's painted... Well, everything except the inside portion. We'll get that done tonight, hopefully.

It's a late clean-up. We're both exhausted, and Daniel's making a face in the picture... as usual. There aren't many pictures of him where he's not making a face. But that's alright with me, I think it's hilarious.

We're really enjoying working on the house. We picked out countertops and knobs and stuff as well. It's going to be a very pretty kitchen. I can't wait to cook something in it...

Spaghetti Frittata

Do yourselves and your loved ones a favor and make this tonight. It's fabulous, I tell you. Delectable. Delicious. Scrumptious. Savory. Appetizing. It's good, alright. And a great way to use some nice summer veggies.

Here's what you'll need:
8 oz. Spaghetti
1Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Medium zucchini, sliced
2 small squash, sliced
1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
8 eggs, beaten
1 cup mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta as directed and let it cool. Please don't overcook. Gummy pasta is gross. Especially when you have to cook it again, as is the case in this recipe. So, remember! Al dente is your friend.

Put the olive oil in a large, ovenproof skillet on medium-high heat. Put the zucchini and squash in for a few moments, and then add the can of tomatoes with their juice. It will look like this. And it will smell divine. Add some salt and pepper to it, because ... it tastes good.

Cook this for about ten minutes, until most of the liquid is evaporated. Remember to stir it occasionally.

Meanwhile, your pasta is cool. Or it should be. So, whip your 8 eggs a bit in a large bowl. Add the cooled pasta and 1/2 a cup of the mozzarella cheese. Add some salt and pepper. I can't get enough pepper, personally. Mix it together well. It will look like this!

Then you add these the spaghetti mixture to the warm veggies and stir well. Cook that on medium-low heat about 5 minutes or until the bottom of the frittata is set, so it's not moving around when you tilt it, but the top is still wet. Then you'll sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Bake it 10 minutes of until the center is set.

This is all done, not moving. Lightly browned on the edges.

Wow. Cut it into wedges and serve! I served mine with a napa cabbage salad with toasted ramen and sesame seeds. Also delicious!

I have no idea why the site kept turning my picture on it's head. But there you go, that's what it looks like on your plate... if you turn your head to the side. But you get the idea.


The entire time I was eating it, I was thinking, "This would be delicious with the addition of some summer sausage!" Point being, this is a recipe that begs to be played with. Use mushrooms and onions if that's your thing, cause it sure as heck ain't mine! Or hashbrowns instead of spaghetti maybe. Have fun and let me know if you find any combinations worth trying!

Happy cooking!

Children

There's a couple of things on my heart that I feel like I need to share. The first is a quote by Anne Geddes. She says, "The question I am most often asked is, 'Why do you photograph babies?'" Her answer was recorded in a book about the beauty of pregnancy called "Pure." The following is one of the most moving things I've ever read.

"Yet children are not only our hope for the future. By their very existence, they will be our future. And yet we so often take them for granted, or underestimate their essential importance. We need to take care of them now, educate, nurture and love them now, teach them the values of harmony, love, understanding, tolerance and an appreciation of other cultures now. Because now is the time to lay the right foundations for their future."

The second is that I can hardly read this without weeping.

It is the reason that I desire to carry my own children. The reason I want to adopt a child without a home and without parents to nurture, love and lay the right foundations in their precious little hearts. And it is the reason I am a Children's Ministry Director at Seacoast in Greensboro.

There is so much passion in that statement and so much appreciation for the weighty task of caring for children that it brings tears to my eyes. I beg God to let me carry that weight to please Him. Because the most important task is not teaching them appreciation of cultures or even about harmony or love; it is reaching out to children to show them the heart of the Lord.

My Savior began to draw me to himself when I was a very small child. I remember pieces of Scripture, songs from Sunday School and lessons about what an awesome and powerful God He is and how much He loved me. I remember feeling how special it was that He knew me. He really knew me. He knew the daydreams I had in my head. He saw my imaginative little brain working 24-7. He knew that if I was playing, I was playing pretend... even if my friends didn't know that. He knew I wanted pink carpet in my room and was so happy when my parents put it in for me. He knew how much I loved my family, and how thankful I was for a little sister to play with. He even knew the number of the hairs on my head. (I remember trying to count them myself when I was in early elementary school because I thought, surely I should know myself!)

The point is that I could understand a lot more about the Lord than I think that kids do now. I have to sit back and remember how much, as a child, I did think about God and how much I wanted to know Him, how much I was curious about Him. Kids really do observe and retain information well. And I lose sight of that sometimes.

So, my heart and soul is out on my sleeve here. I love my Jesus. And I am called to love the children that come across my path and to help show them that Jesus loves them. No matter what happens. No matter how busy I am. Galatians 6:9 says: And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. This is a great reminder that even when we are busy or stressed, that the Lord is with us in it! We're not alone, we just need to persevere! Pick ourselves up and keep running.

Remember this week when children come into your path. One day they'll be running things. They will be our doctors, teachers, pastors and counselors. Missionaries, plumbers, executives and parents. Don't we want to show them the love of Jesus? They are incredibly teachable right now, so lets teach them the right things.

Mark 9:37 - Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

Luke 10:2 - "These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields."

Painting Pottery

About a month ago, I went with some friends to the Painted Plate in Greensboro. I painted this small plate. And I love it!
It was so relaxing to just spend a little while in creative expression. Not having any thing I 'had to' do, just let my mind roam. I'm no artist, clearly. But still, not bad for a first effort!
I love, love, love leaf patterned things. I found a stamp with a leaf on it and went from there.
I like how the plate has the small upturns on the edges, and how you can see light brushstrokes in the yellow.

I love to serve glazed bacon wrapped water chestnuts on it.

I can't wait to try it again!

Inside Pictures!

Welcome to our humble abode! The husband and I are so excited to be purchasing this, our first, home. And... cutting down that monstrosity of a holly tree on the right there.
Here is the back of the house and the husband! Much grilling will take place on the deck! I can taste the steak now...
This is what you will see walking in the front door and looking toward the right. If you look toward the left, you will see the stairs and a half bath. If you look straight ahead, you will see the kitchen.
And here's the dining room! That you can see from the picture above is attached to the living room. The wallpaper will be destroyed post-haste, do not fear.
This is looking into the kitchen from the dining room. You can also see into the family room from this shot. This is one of the things I love most about the house, the open kitchen to the family room. Plus it has a little bar area. I love it!
This is the kitchen standing at the bar area in the family room looking into the kitchen, and you can see a little piece of the dining room.
This is standing in the family room looking into the kitchen, you can see the bar area. Here, and there's a place for a small table.
Here's the Family Room. There are vaulted ceilings in here, dental molding around the gas fireplace. And I love the windows on the corner! This and the kitchen will be my favorite rooms, I'm sure of it.
This is coming back into the Living Room from the Dining Room.
I'm going to pause right here, look the the left and show you the molding that's all in the downstairs. I love it!
The lovely stairwell, with the front door and the half bathroom next to it.
I love the little octagon window in the half bath!
The bonus room over the garage is on the left as you come up the stairs. It has a closet in it too, so it can be a bedroom. I love the charming look of this room. It's a nice size. We're going to use it as our office. I can already see what it will be like. I'm so excited to see how this one turns out!
Here is the Master Bedroom. It's not huge, but it has a lovely tray ceiling. And it's bigger than the apartment bedroom! :) You can kind of see the door to the bathroom on the right in the corner of the picture.
Here's the Master Bathroom Vanity. And me, waving. :) Behind me goes into the closet. It's a pretty good size. And across from me goes into the room with the toilet, shower and tub.
Shower is on the left.
Tub and toilet on the right. The toilet paper roll is far from the toilet itself... I'm going to buy one of those stand things.
Here is the second bedroom. It's just across the hall diagonally from the master. This will be our first childs room. Whenever that happens!
The last bedroom is down the hall on the right, this will be the guest room. The right wall is shared between the two bedrooms.
And on the left across from the guest room is the guest bath! It's pretty large as far as guest baths go. And I didn't take a picture of it, but the laundry area is on the left right next to the bathroom.

And that is our lovely new home! We are set to close on the first of July. We're excited and nervous! And I'm thinking about starting a 'Pay for Paint' fund if anyone wants to contribute! haha!

Thanks for checking it out and praying for Daniel and I! We are incredibly grateful for everyone lifting us up in prayers, volunteering to help us move, and just celebrating with us!

How integrity relates to grocery shopping

I've been thinking about my parents today. They are coming this evening to visit the husband and I, and I'm very excited to see them! I could see them every day and I'd still be excited to see them though, they are wonderful people and have been a great example to me.

Here are two of my favorite people. My mother, Donna, and my little sister, Holly. This was my favorite age of Hollys, so it is very dated, around 1990. But it's just too cute not to share! Isn't her little face just adorable! Why, oh why couldn't you stay that small! :) But anyway, this post is about Mom!


Anyway, I've been thinking about how great my folks are and the example they have set for Holly and I. So I thought I'd share one of the lessons my mother taught me. To this day I cannot go to a grocery store and not think, "Integrity!"

She always returns her grocery carts to the proper returns and she always puts things back if she decides she doesn't want it. I have never seen her put a bag of chips in the wrong place. But her big thing was the buggys. I remember putting one with a large grouping of carts in the parking lot once, and she turned me right around and told me to put it where it belonged because integrity was shown in the little things.

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Even if other people put their buggys in the wrong place, it doesn't mean I should.

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I never realized just how much life application would be drawn from that lesson in the parking lot. And I'll tell you what, I even put other people's buggys in the returns now! Thanks, Mom. The way you've lived your life has made such a difference.

My new club

Well. The husband and I are joining the homeowner club.

It will be a great club.

We got our home at a deal, and it has a ton of potential. It's definitely liveable right now, its nice. It's just dated in a few places. Which, in all consideration, is good. Because I really enjoy putting my own stamp on things.

So, why do I feel slightly nauseous?

Boy, have I been praying that we'd end up in the place the Lord wants us. With the neighbors the Lord wants us to have, in the area our church is targeted towards, and a home we can grow into as a family. And it's perfect. It already has a fence, and a swingset.

We've been saving for this for 3 years, with discipline. And we'll be able to have the payments well under hand. We won't be saving at the same rate as before... but this is what we were saving for, so in all reality, we don't need to be saving at the same rate.

I guess this is just to say, I'm so excited, and more than a little nervous! But I'm guessing most new homeowners feel this way. And here's a small rant: I'm having the hardest time getting information from our bank about a mortgage finalization! sheesh, I'm just trying to give them business. Anyway, end rant.

Here's the front of our new home! :) I don't have any interior pictures yet, but I'll post them when I do. Then I can do before and after shots! Fun, fun! I love home decor!

So, anyone who has purchased a home, what did you do before closing? Any tips would be appreciated!