Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

So for the rest of the Country today is thanksgiving... but today we are eating leftovers. Last night we had out thanksgiving with friends who couldn't go home. Today I have to work, so we are watching the Macy's parade and having left over pumpkin pie for breakfast. If we couldn't be home for the holiday, we are glad to spend it with friends. So for everyone who is celebrating today... Happy thanksgiving! For everyone else, happy day!

Monday, November 24, 2008

things I love

These are a few things I love:


A Christmas gift from last year. It says "God said let there be light... and there was Jesus"
All around it is the nativity scene, and inside my favorite kisses, candy cane!

Our Christmas tree, with the star we found at walmart that fits it perfectly


the leaves outside our kitchen window


The duvet we found at dirt cheap

The bed Joe built



Our new place mats, that match our dishes and kitchen... from walmart!


Saturday, November 22, 2008

More trusting God

Last night was hectic, and completely crazy and ended with a flat tire at one thirty in the morning. I had gotten off work and then went to Mc Donalds right next doo, where I could't get food even though they were 24 hours. But thankfully a nice person drove up next to me and told me about the tire. Joe and JJ came and fixed it, since I have no clue how to fix a flat. It was cold, and we got home around two something and today we are going to get at least that tire fixed... Really so I broke three plates last night, messed up the schedule, drove to pearl and back, and killed a tire. Lets just say it was a rough night, and thankfully I have today off. All of this is happening for a reason, what ever it is I know we just need to trust Him.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Sleep, finally

As I posted yesterday, I have had trouble turning my brain off at night with dreams of people taking orders or other starbucks happenings, well thankfully I was able to sleep last night. It has been the first night in a while I had a solid night's sleep and I am very thankful. Tonight I close, but hopefully I'll be able to stay awake and then this week end I am off. Although Joe is on duty this weekend, hopefully it will be relaxing. It is just had to believe that it is November 21, in a little over a week it is going to be December again! Time has sped by this past month, and I'm not sure really what we have done with it. Joe did make a bed... and I've worked a lot. I'm ready to no longer wish away the weeks, but savor them. I know it is a mind set, but it is easy to forget it. I don't want to be that person who is always looking forward or back, but never enjoying today.

My goal for today is to enjoy.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Moving on trusting God

So I have given my two weeks notice. My last day is the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I still have to work Thanksgiving day, but after that I get my life back! It surprises me how little I have been able to relax on days I have to work. Last night I think was the worst, I even tried to go to sleep early but at 2:00 I was still tossing a turning with dreams of customers and working. It helped me realize that I physically would not be able to continue there. I am excited that we will be able to spend Christmas with family this year. Now I am just trusting God to provide something better.

God really provided through my Grandmother at just the right time. So yesterday I went to change the muffler and pipe of my granny car. Right before I paid for the muffler, one of the guys who were working pointed out my tire. It of course was a time bomb that at any time could blow... they told me that it really could happen at any time so be careful. I had no clue! So I tried to talk to the tire guys down the road, found out both back ones should be replaced. So as I had just spent a lot on the muffler, I drove back very slowly to the house where I parked the car and left it. Thankful that we hadn't had a trip to the coast planned before I got the muffler changed. So God was defiantly not only provided but protected. I know He is in control, and I think he wanted to remind me of that yesterday, as we are heading in to a unknown time again.

Just something to think about.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Tired

Things I miss...
A normal work schedule
constant days off
not being pooped
spending time with my husband

I feel like I am hitting my breaking point. I need a new job.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

days like these

Its days like these that make me some what enjoy what I do. The customer connection, and helping make people happy makes me enjoy my job and want to work there. It's funny because days like yesterday, where it is all about getting people to do what needs to be done, and pleasing the company standards.

I love when I can relate with people and not just deal with them. I feel content when I can make a connection with a person, even though I am just serving them coffee.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Lines

I have been thinking about lines recently. Waiting in lines to be exact.

Tonight I went to pick up a prescription and lo and behold a long line. The faces of the people around me told it all. This was not going to be fun. And then I saw Sofia, so we left the line and walked around the store and chatted. When we got back the line was gone, and we were at ease.

It makes me wonder how many times if I just took a walk away how much better would the situation be.

Just a thought.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Organization and Apple Cider

So today, on my day off, I finally started to organize our back room!

Now papers have their place, clothes are clean and put away, and Christmas decorations are accessible (although I am fighting myself to not put them out).

I have already started to listen to Christmas music. This year I have been more excited than ever about Christmas. I think part of it is I am working at Starbucks and we have a huge holiday push, but the other part is I'm getting back in to the word. This year I think we are going to have to start some of our own traditions because of our work schedules. Which, while I don't like that I'll have to work, it is going to be fun making memories.

We have already started making apple cider, the colder it gets, the nicer it is.
So here is a really easy recipe that my mom always had going around the holidays:

Apple cider
100% Applejuice
a couple cinnamon sticks
a couple cloves

Dump all in a crock pot and let it heat on low or warm until warm
only good for like five hours unless you add more apple juice.

Monday, November 10, 2008

great easy lasagna and tamale pie

So I was given a packet of recipes from a relative's wedding shower and I have been trying them out... so far these two have been amazing and the leftovers went quick (so they must have been good) anyway here they are...

Crock Pot Lasagna
1cup small curd cottage cheese (if you want, add more)
2cups mozzarella cheese grated
1cup Parmesan cheese
3cups of favorite spaghetti sauce (more would work better if not add a little more water)
1 cup water
8 lasagna noodles, uncooked (ready bake works well)

Brown beef, combine all cheeses with beef
mix water and spaghetti sauce
Beginning with the sauce layer in the crock pot
1st sauce 2nd noodles 3rd cheese mixture until you use all
top with cheese mixture
cook 4-5 hours on LOW
makes about 4 good sized servings but can double or triple just make more layers.

*tip- for the noodles just break and fit however you can to make a layer since the crock pot it a weird shape*

Tamale Pie

Topping
2cups milk
1/2 cup cornmeal
1egg
1 1/2 to 2 cups grated cheese

heat milk in sauce pan to almost boiling, add 1/2 cup corn meal and cook until thick (stir while cooking so it won't get lumpy). Beat the egg and add some of the mixture to the egg to warm and make mixing easier. When warm add to the mixture and cook a min more. Add about half the cheese and stir until melted.

Filling
1lb ground beef
1medium onion (or 1T onion powder)
1pk taco seasoning
1 can diced tomatoes (med sized)
1can yellow whole kernel corn
1/4 cup corn meal or grits

Brown the meat (and drain), add onion, and taco seasoning and corn (undrained) and tomatoes (drained), when boiling add corn meal or grits

dump in a square casserole dish and add topping sprinkling the rest of the cheese on top
bake for 30 min at 350

(if you don't have time for the topping just add 1/2 cup of cheese and bake the same time)
makes about 4 to 6 decent sized portions can double in a rectangular baking dish

Friday, November 7, 2008

because xanga isn't as easy

So again, I am moving my blog back to blogger, even though there haven't been many updates.

We are back in Mississippi; New Orleans was ok for a time, a good learning experience but we are happy to be back in MS... We are surrounded by pregnant ladies, but other than that we are enjoying our baby fix and can't wait to see the babies that will add to our friends' families.

We are slowly decorating our place since we sold many things we couldn't bring with us for different reasons. It is a slow process, but we are enjoying it. Just yesterday Joe built a bed... we still need legs for it, but it is comfortable and it's not dorm furniture!

I'm learning to be a planning wife, thanks to the example of a good friend. Step one has been planning meals, it's not as hard as I thought. Step two... I haven't gotten that far yet.

Other than that I'm trying to be purposeful in life... meaning, trying to remember my purpose. I think I lost my purpose for a while, but I am trying to dig deep in God's word again and focus my life around Him again. I'll try to get deeper with my posts as God teaches me.

I also thought about posting recipes that we try and really like (or are easy)... we'll see how it goes, if it gets to be too much stuff I might split it up if it get to be too much.