Friday, May 9, 2014

Loving that Man - Incident with Chicken


Welcome to Loving that Man, a series of posts with musings, tips, and tricks to loving that special man in your life.

I woke up early to get my day started with the following plan:

1.   Watch “The Originals” on my DVR. (I have a bit of a bad vampire TV show obsession)
2. Get showered and dressed
3. Wake up Ryan.
4. Make our Lunches
5. Start our Dinner in a crock pot

It was a great plan!!

I was on track, checking each of my boxes until I pulled the chicken out of the freezer.

After unwrapping said chicken I noticed that the yellow spongy meat plate was not budging from the frozen chicken breasts. As I struggled, begged, and rinsed the meat to release the packaging, the chicken slipped out of my hands into the sink splashing all sorts of dirty soapy water around. It then jettisoned out of the sink and across the kitchen floor landing right in front of our dogs that were in audience.   

Needless to say there were three chicken breasts unfreezing in our trash can as I raced off to the office.

Note to everyone, buy chicken breasts in individually packed bags, or freeze chicken in bags.

Proverbs 31:15 - She gets up while it is still night; She provides food for her family 

The mornings come quickly at our house these days. For the last few months our schedules have been packed so full of fun, house refreshing (painting and what not), and work that my days seem to run together. It’s hard to find the discipline to stop and take care of the little mundane things. However, if I don’t I end up running from the Organized Chaos Death Squad, known as the OCDS. You know that squad of little gremlins that creates waist high piles of laundry, the one who whispers that it is perfectly reasonable to drive thru the nearest fast food restaurant for dinner because the meat is still in the freezer, or my personal favorite that moment when you realize that every bowl, spoon, and cup is either in the sink or laying around the house and you mysteriously feel okay about it. When I am seduced by this chaos, my world begins to fall apart.

Ryan has three pet peeves around our home: no clean clothes, dirty dishes and wasted food. Who can blame him? They are my pet peeves as well.  To avoid these things from happening I've made some changes to my routine that I wanted to share in hopes of helping other women avoid the OCDS and increase the happy man quotient!!!

1.   Laundry – Do a load a Night/Day. If I keep our laundry caught up this way, we don’t get into the “wash what we need” cycle. That cycle is costly to my wallet, water, and Ryan’s sanity.  This is a new routine for me, and I sometimes fail at it. I find that if I do a load at night and get in the dryer before bed, I can fold it the following morning. (For Transparency - Putting away clean laundry is a whole different story. I just hate that part, luckily Ryan doesn't mind it too much)

2. Dirty Dishes – When I am cooking dinner I am trying my best to:

a. Wash as you go – If you have a pot/pan/dish that you are done with wash it up when you have a free moment and put it in the dish washer.
b. Clean up ingredients as you are done with them. I try to put extra ingredients away as I am cooking so they aren't out on the counters when the meal is over.
c.  Fill up one side of the sink – for dishes that need to soak. As Ryan pointed out to me it’s better to fill up the side without the garbage disposal. You might need it!
d.Do the dishes after every meal. We get into a “Rinse so they don’t stink” cycle at times. Then you end up with multiple loads of dishes and nobody wants to do that!

3. Dinner – Meal Planning and Daily scheduling. On Saturday or Sunday I sit down and review our week. I note the evenings when we have plans and will need to eat out, and then plan dinners accordingly.  Freezing my meats for the meals is helpful on not wasting food, as long as I remember to defrost the meat in a timely fashion. I am really successful with this when I review my weekly calendar before bed so that I am prepared for the next day! I love my Erin Condren Life Planner right now for keeping our calendar and plans in sync.

Any suggestions to share on ways of maintaining a happy home that directly impact your special man, I’d love to hear them!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The Simple Woman's Day Book 5/6/14

Welcome if you are joining in from The Simple Woman's Daybook May Edition, I’m so glad you’re here!

FOR TODAY… May 6, 2014

Outside my window...66 degrees and a little cloudy. I just got the car washed, hoping those clouds aren't bringing rain with them.

I am thinking...about losing our loved ones. Yesterday Ryan was hit with two loses at work, a co-worker's sister, and another co-worker's husband. In the evening we learned that we lost a family member as well to cancer. These days are hard, and their loss makes everyone hurt. It also brings unresolved relationships to the front of our hearts, and places a sense of urgency on finding resolution.

In the kitchen...bringing healthy lunches to work, and home cooked meals for dinner. I went to the The Queen Bee Market last weekend and picked up 5 slow cooker/crock pot mixes to try from Whatcha Got Cookin!! We are trying the Ranch Bacon Chicken over Baked Potatoes this week!

I am wearing... my The Adopt Shoppe necklace that I got at the marketplace last weekend. I am super thrilled to be wearing it! Such a blessing!

I am creating...Photo books for this year. I am using Artifact Uprising and preparing a soft cover book each month for our coffee table!

I am reading...The Nesting Place, and I am so very consumed. I read it in less than 3 days. I am completely obsessed with planning for our home, taking some of her suggestions and breathing reality into it! This is a book that speaks to my heart in so many ways! Go get it, it will bless you!

I am hoping...that my Parents return safely home from their Trip to Israel. They left last night about 9:30 on the first leg of flights, and are now somewhere between Canada and Washington State. They get here at LAX around 4. I can’t wait to squeeze their necks.


I am looking forward to... Mother’s Day with my Mom on Sunday.  Have I mentioned that she left me for the Promised Land...oh..you can read about it here.

Around the house...Continued work on our Bedroom Refresh. We have painting to finish, and lighting to hang.  We are hoping to start our final upstairs bedroom next weekend as well!

I am pondering...about how I can be a better wife to Ryan. I am working really hard on quieting my spirit so that I don’t respond in harsh ways. God is so faithful in this.

A favorite quote for today...


A few plans for the rest of the week: Tonight – Pick up my Mom and Dad, Friday – Massage and Facials Date Night, Saturday – Painting and share some time with our Friends, Sunday – Mother’s Day with my Momma!

A peek into my day...



We celebrated one of our dearest friends birthdays at the beach last Sunday! 

There is something about being at the beach with this man that equals heaven on earth for this girl!

Monday, April 28, 2014

They left me!




The only child in me is screaming. 

My parents are literally across the globe in Israel. ISRAEL!! You know that place consistently on the news for bombings, hostages, and holy water! The distance is killing their almost 35 year old daughter. They are in my thoughts and prayers constantly, and I sit with anxiety waiting for email updates. Poor Ryan, he is doing a stellar job at appeasing his cranky worried wife.

As I ponder their trip, I find myself much more aware of the news, the history, and the passion of Israel. They are in the Promised Land. The land of the Israelite, the land of the chosen people, they are where my Jesus was. I long to be with them. 

Deuteronomy 26:15
15 Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

9 more day until they return to us. My heart is excited to hear their stories, to hear what touched their hearts. I know they will be forever changed. How can they not be, after walking where He walked! 

(And yes, I tracked their flights all the way across the globe. I highly suggest the app Flight View, if you are as neurotic as I am)



Thursday, April 24, 2014

Throwback Thursday Stories

If your stopping in from The Mom Creative, Welcome!


1995 – Junior Year of High school – Friendship


I believe this was our Junior Year of High school. I was finally on the other side of “My Awkward” stage (we are just not going to talk about that…ok?). Look at that Long Hair; I can barely remember having hair that long.

This is Devon, and this picture makes me smile. She lived down the street from us and we were great friends, and I have wonderful memories with her. I am so very blessed by the sweetness that comes from having girlfriends. Smiles, Linked Arms, and Boy Crazy wonderment, these were some good days gone by! 

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Throwback Thursday Stories


If your visiting from The Mom Creative Welcome!!



1998 - Freshman Year of College – Spring Break




I was home from the University of Wyoming with my boyfriend at the time.  We were doing a bit of sightseeing.

This day we were whale watching with my Mom and Dad.

I can’t help but smile at my Letterman jacket. I am such a dork, wearing it after high school and all. I was proud of it, of the musical accomplishments it represented. Yeah, I lettered in Band, what are you going to do about it.  I was one of the Ultimate Band Geeks, Drum Major and all!

The Ocean, its creatures, the give and take of the waves, calls to my soul.  There are moments where I feel the connection so deeply that I know it’s divinely inspired. Who else but the God of creation, the God who loves me would know how to take my breath away and alter the very rhythm of my heart

Monday, April 7, 2014

The Simple Woman's Day Book 4/7/14

Welcome if you are joining in from April's Addition of the Simple Woman's Daybook. I’m so glad you’re here!

FOR TODAY – April 7, 2014

Outside my window...A glorious 79 degrees! I love being a California Girl

I am thinking... about planning a Sabbath Sunday for Ryan and I. I really don’t know what this will look like, or how it’s going to turn out, but the idea is really weighing on my heart. I want to take time to stop and rest in my Lord, to celebrate his creation, and the relationship I have with him.

In the kitchen...we are really working on saving money and calories by packing our lunches and eating dinner at home. This bento box rage continues to capture me. I am looking for little cookie cutters and decorations to help my addiction.

I am creating...Deco mesh wreaths, it’s becoming a bit of an obsession for me. My Mom and I are working on spring/Easter one’s tonight while Ryan has Bible Study.

I am going... to focus on creating housekeeping routines that will help me keep the house maintained, and allow me to still live life. I am so good about doing a mass cleaning before we have some kind of event, and then picking up after said event. However, I get so exhausted that I take a week or so off, and then have a disaster to deal with again. I would really like to have a clean house and picked up house everyday so I just have to do deep cleanings once a month. 

I am reading... Echoes of Eden and Orphan Justice. I have just started both of these books and I can tell they are both going to push the envelope on my comfort zone.

I am hoping...that we can get a couple of our financial tasks completed this week. This would be helpful to some stress levels.

I am looking forward to...getting our Bedroom painting done.

Around the house...we have Easter decorations up and Angel’s baseball on TV. There is a pretty enthusiastic vibe filling the air.

A favorite quote for today...


A few plans for the rest of the week: Dinner and Crafting tonight with my Mom, Work Celebration Tuesday night, Housework/Laundry/Taxes/Bills on Wednesday and Thursday, and an Angel’s Game on Friday night. This is the first home game we are attending this season!

A peek into my day...These roses are blooming in my front yard. They take my breath away, Love Love Love this pink!




Wednesday, April 2, 2014

March CY365 and OLW Rest




March 2014 was full of sweet and fun times. For my Capture Your 365 and my One Little Word Workshop I captured lots daily moments this month that provided me Rest. This is my OLW for 2014.

March 1 - Peeps - I just love them! T
March 2 - We watched Macy my parents sweet dog.
March 3 - Butterfly Canvas, this was a shot from our trip to Northern California over Thanksgiving last year.
March 4 - Me Sick at Work
March 5 - Chickens, the obsession continues. Someday I will have them!
March 6 - Guitar Class
March 7 - Deco Mesh Wreath I made for St. Patricks Day
March 8 - Lunch with our Great Niece and Nephew! I just love having them around!
March 9 - Drinking Buddies, Their smiles an laughter warm my heart!
March 10 - Oh Opie
March 11 - Diesel looking so very cute!
March 12 - Lucky Banner in our living room. I made this too!
March 13 - My Final Guitar Class
March 14 - Date Night Goodies
March 15 - Painting our Bedroom ceiling
March 16 - A cuddle bug Opie
March 17 - A tired Diesel
March 18 - Celebrating 3 years no beers for my best friend
March 19 - A wet clean Puppy
March 20 - Traveling to Arizona
March 21 - Scenes from our Hotel Room
March 22 - Ice Bucket Sillyness
March 23 - She got married today!
March 24 - Get us to the airport on time!
March 25 - Trophy Husband Party Preparations
March 26 - Bento Box Fun
March 27 - San Francisco Pics
March 28 - Baking Goodness
March 29 - My Trophy Husband
March 30 - Bring on the Boat
March 31 - Making Deco Mesh Wreaths with my Mom