friday the 13th

the last friday the 13th, mike and i watched the movie "friday the 13th" - about 20 minutes in, i was rooting for the guy with the murderous intent.  usually, i'm on the victims side
(screaming, "RUN!!!!  noooo, don't turn around - RUNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!")
.....but i made an exception for this movie because none of the actresses seemed to be able to keep their clothes on.  death by jason, or future jail sentence for public exposure?

but, it is friday!  13th or not, i'll take it!  april is a busy month for us, despite my softly-held goal of slowing life down.  sigh.  but here are some the many highlights:

- we met little edith last weekend! she is so precious - it was dear to see her daddy's features on her own beautiful little face. congratulations again, seth and jan!

- we are loving arlington - officially licensed, registered, titled, and taxed here now! i had a test in patience at the DMV (twice), which i failed (twice). thankfully, they still issued my driver's license - my picture appropriately looks like a mug shot.

- my sister-in-law suzanna is now doing mary kay - she has always had a fabulous eye for what hair cuts and styles suit different people, so if you need any make-up advice, give her a shout!
- God willing, mike is going to be starting a year-long project at the navy yard, with a team that he's met and loves.  we're waiting for his interim clearance (or full clearance!) to go through.....it felt like he was writing a paper in school again, to have him feeling out so many pages of paperwork!
- we celebrated easter last weekend with both our families - picture below of mike and two of his brothers. a few minutes before, the three of them were cracking up....wish i'd grabbed that moment! but life goes fast, so it was at least a reminder to take pictures while it's in my mind.

- i go to lancaster this weekend with jackie and bethany - third annual trip together!  below is a picture from the first year....taken in front of the liberty bell in philadelphia.

such babies we were!

- next weekend, mike is taking me to williamsburg as a belated birthday trip. we have year passes, and are particularly interested in the new blacksmith exhibit.

- the following weekend, we visit our friends johannah and ruel - this visit is already long overdue!  they were married in december (documentation below)....we have been wanting to visit them since then!

- lastly! i will be taking mike away for HIS birthday the first weekend in may (so as not to compete with mother's day).....but the details of that trip are a surprise to him, so nothing more to be said until afterward.

- remember that cow that we bought an 1/8 of last fall?  we had ribs from it last week.....mike felt that we were cavemen after eating this, and that the "dinosaur" was our kill.  needless to say, the casseroles i've served since then have seemed flat!

i continue to be the richest person i've ever met.  humbled and glad to have the life i do, to be forgiven the things i've done, and to have the family and friends and husband i do.

happy friday the 13th!  avoid jasons today, and enjoy the weather this weekend!

"spicy" chicken noodle soup

in looking ahead at what to make this week, i had odds and ends to use up, but none that fit into previously tried recipes.....and none that fit exactly into recipes i found online.  it was time to get creative!  

i had chicken stock, chicken breasts, and onions.....but no egg noodles, and no fresh veggies.  so the recipe below is adapted to make use of the pasta i had (keeping it separate from the soup until it is served, to avoid sogginess), and embracing the spicier aspect of the onions and garlic.  

we recommend!  i would not repeat this exact recipe if mike or i were sick - we would want something milder - but the spiciness added excitement to our weekly meals.  success!

"spicy" chicken noodle soup

4 cups of chicken stock
1 cup diced chicken, raw
2 large onions, sliced
1 cup frozen corn
2 T minced garlic
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp marjoram
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp olive oil
1 box penne pasta

- sautee onions, garlic, and chicken in olive oil, until onions are clear and chicken is cooked through.
- in separate pot, cook penne pasta; drain and set aside.
- add chicken stock and spices, bring to boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for ~20 minutes.
- add corn, heat through.

serve cooked pasta directly into bowls, with the soup ladled over it. store left-overs separately.

sunshine.and.mike.

hello, you glorious and unrealistic weather!!!  thank you for being in the 80's today, and not bringing a snow storm (though, i'm sure with the way you've trained us in the past, we would just glump and say we'd expected no less)......i love your brightness!

read this verse a few weeks ago:


"...when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go..."

~Song of Solomon 3:4

i wish i could say that i saw myself in those words - i aspire to hold onto mike and not let him go.  but for now, today, i love him for how he doesn't let ME go......he loves me through my distractedness, my busy plans, my temper, and my foolish mistakes.

today isn't any special anniversary, and mike hasn't done anything unusually extraordinary - and that is why i am grateful today.  i am grateful for how he loves me on the regular days, how he involves himself in my life, and asks me to be part of his world.  i am grateful for how he serves me, constantly and constantly.  i am grateful that he is a Christian, and that he wants to glorify God as my husband.

mike, i'm so grateful that you love me, and you hold onto me.  i don't deserve you, my own dearest.

(picture taken on the steps of the library of congress)

colossians 2

"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."
~ Colossians 2:8,13-14


i want my to-do lists to flow from these truths.
i want to do because i am alive in God, and not because it's just the norm.
i want the truth of this to give me joy and hope even when i'm tired and tired and tired.

everything wrong i've ever done, has been forgiven - i want my mind to be obsessed with the happiness of this fact.

our nook

give me no such words as cramped, or crowded, or messy - and never breathe that you are claustrophobic!  instead, i love cosy, and homey, and comforting.......a subtle adjustment, but ohhhh, so important!

we're into the new little studio apartment....i have no pictures for you yet (though the one above was too tempting not to include!), as we are still unpacking.  but i was remembering this morning, how much i loved tight spaces when i was little - just big enough that i could barely fit - their smallness somehow made them more exciting and magical to me!  i'm so glad to remember, as that is the perspective i want to have of our little nest.

tight, but enough.
small, but exciting.
challenging, and needing imaginative solutions.

southwestern quinoa salad

"southwestern" quinoa salad

2 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic (peeled/chopped)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup of well-rinsed quinoa

2 chicken breasts, cut into ~3/4" cubes
1 cup water
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes (lessen to 1/8 tsp if you want no "kick")

3/4 tsp thyme
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
1 cup black beans
romaine lettuce

- heat olive oil in medium pot; add garlic and onion, and saute until the onions are clear
- add the quinoa, water,  chicken, salt, red-pepper flakes, and thyme. bring the water to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. cook for ~15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender.
- stir in corn and black beans, continue to simmer ~5 minutes, until heated through.
- serve over bed of romaine lettuce

i served this for dinner last night, and we LOVED it.  mike scraped every last morsel off his plate, and immediately said that this one should be repeated - yay!!  :-)

but, there is always tweaking - below are some ideas i have for the next time:

- make over weekend, to serve cold during week - especially during the summer

- serve with lime slices

i combined this recipe and this recipe to create the one above - check them out!

tomorrow, tomorrow!!

closets packed?  *check*
pets taken to new apartment?  *check*
under bathroom sink packed?  *check*
kitchen packed?  *check*
bathroom/kitchen deep cleaning done?  *check*

*check*  *check*  *check*  *check*  *check*  *check*  *check*  *check*  *check*

tomorrow, we move to arlington!  the packing and planning haven't gone exactly as expected, but we are so very excited and so, so blessed to have the family and friends we do, to help us with our move!!!

and now, we wait.  til tomorrow.  TOMORROW.  wait.

i can't decide if i feel more like this:

just time between us and being moved in...

or this - if my complaining spirit is taking over ;-) :

miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike, this week takes forevvvver!!

happy friday, readers!  i hope you got to enjoy the warm weather this week, and that your weekend lasts as long as my weekdays have!  ;-)