Sidenotes from a Sickbed

Psalm 16:8 "I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." I love the active wording of this verse. Yes, the Lord is constantly with us and will never leave nor forsake us. But we also have to be active in setting Him before us, in ensuring that He is in his rightful and most-deserving place in our lives. It is not by setting our work, our social lives, or even our families before us that we will have true peace and fulfillment, but only by placing our Heavenly Father at front of everything.

Well, it seems like there is something out there desperately wanting to cut me off of any progress with this running thing. If it isn't the klutzy accident in the shower that took a week and a half to heal it's been my crazy week of health issues! This Wednesday morning I got to make my first trip ever to the Emergency Room after waking up at 5:45 with the awful feeling of a UTI. Since the urgent care clinics don't open until 9:00 (apparently nothing can be urgent before that time..) I found myself sitting in the waiting room at 6:00 am. My husband had left earlier to go for a run so I left him this note "Went to ER. Have UTI." Well, apparently he did not get this note (don't worry I left it directly under the turned-on lamp so he was sure to see it....men ha!) and just thought I was being extra-super-motivated at the gym that morning and working out for a very long time....yeah right!! Geez, I thought he knew me...So that was Wednesday. My husband was out of town Thursday night, which cereal-for-dinner-night woot woot, and we were so looking forward to the OSU-A&M game on Saturday. I had all kinds of plans to make a big ol' OSU cookie cake using orange and black Reese's Pieces and try out my new frosting gun. Well, Saturday morning rolls around and I wake up with something like the flu. Fever, body aches, awful headache, the works. Really?? I was so determined to still go to the game I even dragged myself out of bed to put on my makeup. Granted I had to return to bed to lie down for a bit because that little bit of movement literally exhausted me. Well, better judgement got the better of me and I spent the entire day sleeping...in my makeup. Good news thought - my cowboys won by a major comeback! Go Pokes! We might just have to eat a belated orange and black cookie cake as a celebration. Oh wait....I just realized I could use it for Halloween....

Forgive my health rant. I am praying that this is my dose for the whole school year that just happened to all come at once. We had one of my kiddo's dads come in, a dental hygienist, and speak with the kids about keeping their teeth clean. They were so precious and I was so proud of them for being on their (somewhat) best behavior. He gave them all toothbrushes early on in his talk, which meant toothbrushes were in each other's eyes, on the germ-filled carpet, on their legs, on my legs, on their arms, on my arms, etc. Let's just say I decided those toothbrushes would stay at school and be used for art. After he left, we used those new toothbrushes to paint with toothpaste on construction paper. So simple and they loved it! Something new that has developed recently on the playground is playing "baseball". AKA one of my kids stands in front of me with a bucket on his/her head as a baseball helmet and a small plastic shovel as a bat. I say his/her name in an announcer-ish voice, drawing out all of the syllables. The cutest thing is that the other classmates, who sit in the "stands" to watch the game until their turn, are starting to announce with me. Then the batter hits the imaginary ball and takes off for the bases. I call out "First base!" "Second base!" "Third base!" "He/She is headed for home plate!" "Home run!" followed by "And the crowd goes wild!" with cheering and arms waving back and forth. Well, after about 15 rounds of this, which it is doing wonders to their concept of taking turns, my voice was getting a little tired. I seriously thought that they probably weren't even hearing me call out the bases as they ran literally all over the playground, sometimes inside the play houses then back out, and I could probably just say home run. Boy was I wrong. Any time I did not call out the appropriate bases, my little ones would stop and yell out, "Ms. Sawah!!!! Say the numbers!!!" I'm sorry!

As much as we tell kids what to do or more often, what not to do, it's amazing the lessons we can learn from these little ones. For example, they notice the absolute tiniest details about you! The other day, one of my sweet little boys was sitting next to me on the carpet and grabbed my hand, EXTREMELY concerned about the minute traces of red nail polish left on the sides of my thumb from taking it off in a hurry. He thought it was blood and kept asking if it hurt! They say to stop and smell the roses, but I also think we should stop and just look around us. The busier we get the easier it becomes to look over small little details in life. But if we were more like preschoolers, with eyes that take in everything with a newness and wonder, how would that change our relationships with friends, family, spouses, coworkers, etc.?

I apologize that I don't have a recipe to share with you today. After this bout of health stuff (I've had nothing but juice, water, and a bowl of Honey Nut Spins - they're the knock-off of Cheerios and quite tasty - in the past 24 hours), I have not felt like cooking very much. But I do want to share this new song by Needtobreathe that I am absolutely obsessed with! That band can do no wrong - every song that comes out of their mouths is just amazing!!!

"Slumber" by Needtobreathe

The Sweetness of Friendship {St. Louis Trip}

John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." God is just so many things to us. Our holy father and creator. Our rock, our redemption, our salvation, our strength, our security, and the list goes on and on. But He is also the most amazing friend that any one of us could EVER have! To hand over His Son to a bunch of unworthy sinners to lay down his own pure, blameless life to wash clean not only the sins of that generation but of every single generation to come. Now that true, awe-inspiring friendship. Makes us evaluate the relationships in our lives doesn't it? If we deeply desire to become more and more like Christ every day, then we can use His amazing example of friendship to enrich our own relationships!

Quick C25K news....that random, horrible, who-else-does-this-happen-to run-in with the shower faucet left me with a giant (at least like half an inch long) gash surrounded by a swollen, black and purple bruise. This delightful injury literally left me unable to wear any shoes with a back for a week! AKA no running since last Sunday! Noooooo! (Actually I wasn't too torn up haha)! My pathetic stamina that I have grudgingly built up over the past 6 weeks has been defeated by a freak accident (I'm the freak in this scenario). It's almost healed now and I hope to get back on the running saddle soon.

I was so incredibly blessed to be able to visit my other, shorter half in St. Louis this weekend! Allow me to explain: when I went off to college in a state I had never been, nor did I have any friends in this state, God totally intervened (as He always does) through the potluck system of dorm roommate selection. She was also from out-of-state and there is no doubt that without each other, we would not have been able to survive! God is so good and I just love if when you can tangibly feel His hand in a situation! I went this random potluck route, which can be scary and dangerous...I've heard horror stories.....and ended up with Natalie! We instantly bonded and lived together all four years of college! I always wonder what percentage of potluckers do that.

One of the first pics we took together! Freshman year, 2007, in the midst of rush (which was completely planned by God  too - like I'm surprised - He plans everything!!)

May 2011. We recreated the pic, going back to the exact same patio of our freshman dorm, in the exact same outfits! We even had to jump the fence all un-ladylike, just like four years previously when we got locked out! 

Needless to say, after living together for all four years, it has been quite an adjustment for both of us not seeing each other's faces every single day! She is most definitely going to change the world and I have watched God increase her passion and fire for Him and His kingdom more and more every semester. She is at grad school at St. Louis University for social work and I had the wonderful opportunity to visit her for 3 days! I had absolutely no regret leaving those needy little children (just kidding, I love them) and taking Friday off, although I did miss them by Sunday night.  I am so excited to share my visit to such a cool and charming city with you! I hope you find it as interesting as I did!

After a delicious lunch at Pei Wei on the way home from the airport (that honey seared chicken is to die for!), we stopped at her super cute apartment then went on a little tour of the city and of the St. Louis University campus. I fell in love with the architecture of all the buildings! Apartment complexes, hotels, you name it had really cool ornate and antique detailing. Plus the day was absolutely gorgeous - warm in the sun but cool at the same time. First time in forever that I could wear jeans and a cardigan outside and actually be on the cool side - not die of heat exhaustion!!

Catholic basilica...absolutely stunning on the inside as well as the outside!

That thing with all the colorful abstract sculptures is one of the many dog parks all over the city!

Me, being the pseudo-mom to ten children Monday through Friday, forced her to take an awkwardly precious pic by the SLU sign.

They have the cutest cafes on every corner with little umbrellas...love!

After a little sight-seeing in which I was the total tourist and had my upper body hanging out the window to take pics, we stopped at the cutest cupcake shop ever...The Cup!

Reese's peanut butter cup cupcake....incredibly moist chocolate cupcake, peanut butter buttercream frosting, crushed peanut butter cups on top. I seriously think that one will be waiting for me when I die and go to Heaven.

We totally planned to coordinate with the umbrella....and with each other!

After we slipped into a somewhat sugar-coma from our cupcakes, we got some much-needed chill time together, complete with the non-stop talking that took place the entire weekend. Then we headed to Forest Park for Balloon Glow! Tons of hot air balloons, booths with every kind of fair food you can imagine (not gonna lie, those funnel cakes and cans of Mike's hard lemonade were very tempting. Luckily we ate some appetizers before we went!)

After the super cool balloon display and firework show, we headed to a late-night dinner at the best pizza place in St. Louis - pi! Actually it was the pi sign but I don't know how to make that on here :) The words "amazing" "delicious" "cracker crust" and "I fell in love with a slice of pizza" do not even begin to describe how good it was!! More non-stop talking, then took a slight break to sleep. Day 1 - amazing!

Day 2 started with a leisurely getting-ready time with coffee and the traditional "Gilmore Girls". Then we walked to this precious cafe, 2Schae, that once again had those little umbrellas and a red and white striped awning. Unfortunately, it was a little too cold and gray to sit outside, but don't worry, the owner offered to take our pic outside as if we were pretending to eat there. We had previously discussed this idea and thought he might make fun of us....wrong!

After one of the best breakfast burritos I have ever had (egg, cheese, bacon, avocado all wrapped in a huge wheat tortilla with a side of salsa and more coffee....yum!), we began our day of wonderfully-random stops! Stop #1: a huge farmer's market! Not only did they have the best-looking veggies, fruits, and anything else homegrown, they had totally random items such as purses and sunglasses that looked straight from Chinatown, BBQ stands, and anything else that you could possibly want!

Super cute spice shop....I felt a little ashamed when I thought of all the Great Value off-brand spices in my pantry at home. The smells were amazing! I also got the best idea that I cannot wait to try on my own - baking bread in flower pots! (An all-included kit with bread mix was available for purchase. That's too easy. I'm going to attempt to do it on my own. Dear Lord, please don't let a flower pot explode in my oven haha!

After the farmer's market and a stop at a precious wine-garden-gifts shop across the street where I found inspiration for another holiday decoration I want to steal, I mean, "borrow", we visited the arch! I have not seen very many U.S. landmarks in my short life so far in this world so I was like a giddy little kid whipping out my camera and once again, embracing the role of the embarrassing tourist!

The building to the right is a church. There was a wedding going on while we were there - so hard not to peak in the windows! We later saw the bride, groom, and whole wedding party drive by in a horse-drawn carriage! What a cool place to get married. Talk about awesome pics!

I had to.

After the arch came something that (almost) blew my  mind as much as the landmark....a Goodwill outlet store! I cannot describe this amazing phenomenon without using the term "feeding frenzy". Picture a huge warehouse room with giant blue, almost garbage-like, bins that contain some of the most random discarded items (I don't need to buy an empty Ragu jar, I can get that on my own). They roll out new bins of stuff every 20 minutes and the frenzy commenced. They actually had to come on the loudspeaker and ask people not to approach the bins until they had come to a complete stop. And everything there is priced by the pound! So people would fill up carts literally to the brim and roll them onto large floor scales by the register...how cool is that! I found one treasure that I just couldn't resist - a book all in French from 1952! I was first drawn by the pretty, faded red cover that would go so well with the colors in our living room. Then I opened it, spotted the date, and deliciously-aged pages and fell in love! My whopping grand total spent at the Goodwill outlet:

$0.68

After the exciting Goodwill adventure, two large Dr. Peppers were a must for us, followed by some more relaxing/non-stop chatter time at her place. The weather was gray and chilly, perfect for settling down in the couch with Rory, Lorelai, and some DP! Sunday went by way too fast, as every Sunday does, and I was soon on my way back to Aggieland. Not without some flight delay, confusion, and a stifling hot cabin sitting on the runway, of course. But I made it back safe and sound! I think my husband was glad to see me, mainly due to the fact that he ate a grilled ham and cheese for almost every meal!

Speaking of meals, I tried out this new recipe that I sorta combined with others for Monday night. The combination of grunting and "Mmmmm"-ing came out once more for this delicious sub! I have never made my own meatballs before and found a recipe for them in a Rachael Ray cookbook for kid-food (my sister thought it would be a good gift a while back for my picky eater of a husband). Then I combined that with some tasty bread and bottled spaghetti sauce and voila...

Homemade Meatball Subs

1 pound ground beef, 93% lean

1 egg, beaten

1/2 small cooking onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano (I used good ol' Great Value shredded Parmesan cheese)

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs 

(I just had plain breadcrumbs so I added a couple shakes of Italian seasoning to the mix)

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 sub rolls 

(I intended to use wheat hoagies but I found wheat bolillos instead. Had never heard of them but they were cheaper. And really, any bread is good in my book!)

4 slices Provolone

Jar of spaghetti sauce of your choice (I used Ragu with some sort of cheese/herb flavoring)

For meatballs:

1. Combine meat, egg, onion, garlic, cheese, bread crumbs, and a little pepper in bowl.

2. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in deep, nonstick skillet.

3. Form small balls and drop into hot pan. Once all meatballs are in skillet, give the pan a good shake and cover. Cook for 8 minutes, frequently shaking the pan to prevent burning. If meat is browning too fast, reduce heat a little.

4. Once meatballs are done (I had to cut some of the bigger ones in half to get the middle cooked), pour enough spaghetti sauce to cover and moisten the meatballs.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Slice bread almost all the way through and open like book. Place cheese on one side, put on baking sheet, and bake in oven until cheese is melted and edges of bread are slightly crisp. Once cheese is melted, top open sandwich with meatballs (I squeezed about 5 on top of the cheese), close, and enjoy! 

I inhaled mine in record time before making my hungry husband another one :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and a great Monday! 

The Tale of Two Bear Hunts

Psalm 25:4-5 "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." When I read this I heard the plea and deep desire for God's teaching and guidance in his life. We serve the greatest teacher that has ever been and ever will be and as for me, I want to learn the most from HIM. I also love the last part of this psalm "my hope is in you all day long". Personally, I can find myself extremely far at the end of the day from where I began. I begin my mornings with a daily devotional and some time spent reading the Word with my cup (ok, that's actually plural) of coffee. I have found this to truly bring a sense of peace and readiness to my day. However, as the day progresses, it can be so easy to forget that peace and hope with which the day begin when faced with all of the demands of life (and of three-year-olds!). But it is my prayer that I secure my hope in the Lord all day long. After all, each minute of every day that we are blessed to breathe on this earth comes from Him!

We tried out the BEST recipe ever this weekend! I got it, yet again, from one of my fave blogs "Pearls, Handcuffs and Happy Hour". It was one of those where after the first bite I did my signature move when the food is really good - slap my knee, shake my head slowly, and not say anything than a combined "Mmm"/grunt. James finds it highly amusing the amount of satisfaction I get out of food ha! I also emailed the recipe to my mom dictating to her that she had to make it this week. That good.

Crispy Southwestern Chicken Wraps

1 cup cooked white rice

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 green onion, finely sliced

1/2 green or red bell pepper

1/4 cup cilantro (I omitted)

juice of 1 lime

1/2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

2 cups shredded cheese

Sour cream

6 tortillas *

The original recipe called for burrito size tortillas. I only had the regular small ones which just meant I had to eat more  of them :)

1. Cook and shred chicken while cooking rice.

2. Combine rice with spices (chili powder, cumin, garlic salt).

3. Add the black beans, chicken, onion, pepper, cilantro, and lime juice. The recipe called for topping the cheese in the next step with the sour cream but I just added a little bit here to make it creamy. 

4. Sprinkle tortillas with cheese. Top with chicken mixture. Roll up and toast on each side in skillet until golden brown (I had to secure mine with toothpicks to keep all the deliciousness inside).

Enjoy!!! Hopefully it gets a "Mmm"/grunt out of you too!

Saturday was a day full of deep-cleaning (gotta capitalize when the mood strikes right?), fall decorating, and football watching. And I finally took pictures of our fully completed, moved in, and decorated duplex although we have been settled for months. It was amazing to compare those pics to the ones we took on the very first day we moved in! So glad we covered up those dingy white walls with some paint - seriously close to miraculous the difference a gallon of paint can make. Sunday morning rolls around and I decide that instead of getting up super early and completing the last of week 5 runs before Sunday School and church, I'll just do it later....Allow me to tell you my horrific story:

I decide around 5:30 after spending the afternoon working on different crafts for my sister's upcoming bridal shower (pics to come after the shower in case she reads this before - I can't wait to share!) that I would go out and complete this run. Why I decided to do this when it is literally 99 degrees outside, not including heat index, and I have the beginnings of a cold I truly will never know. But I pumped myself up by repeating the phrase "30 minutes and you're done" as I hunted for my sports bra and a pair of shorts, getting distracted at least two or three times (I found myself sweeping the living room midway through getting dressed - seriously? Ritalin I think I need you). Worst. Decision. Ever. Although it was only thirty minutes long like usual Clarisse greeted me with a cheery "this week you will be running for twenty minutes without stopping or walking". Oh great. I know I have complained about the five minute requirements before so I offer an official retraction of those complaints issued and signed by yours truly. C-dawg, as I like to sometimes call her, kept insisting that this was all a mental challenge and that physically, I was ready. Maybe I would have been ready had I completed the run at 6:30 in the morning like usual when it is much, much, MUCH cooler/even pleasant. But no. Although I somehow managed to finish the run without stopping, I believe I suffered from some degree of heat exhaustion/mental confusion. I seriously considered rolling in the delightful stream of water running along the gutter and veered dangerously close as I huffed, puffed, and dragged my feet home. With about 5 minutes left I turned down a street in search of some shade and relief from the blaring sun. I didn't even make it to the cul-de-sac before making an awkward turnaround that brought back memories of high school days where you realize you are going the wrong way to a class and you just have to awkwardly turn around in the middle of the hallway. I would always give a little "Oh yeah!" like I forgot something to give my turnaround some sort of foundation. Anyways, there were some children playing in the cul-de-sac with their parents watching nearby and with the extremely slow pace at which I was "jogging", I did not want these fine suburban parents to think I was a creeper. With a final push I made it to the end. However, the reason I believe I suffered from heat exhaustion (ok, maybe just a little case of over-heating) was because despite how extremely hot I was I stopped sweating. Don't let my soaking shirt fool you, cars passing by, I literally poured water on myself from my water bottle. Dramatic? Perhaps a little but I at least waited until no one was around before I attempted to cool down. Alas, it was futile, for my water was practically boiling. Thank you, Texas sun. Anyhoo, I got home, realized my face was the exact shade of coral-red as my shirt, and turned on a freezing cold shower. The only time I turned on the slightest amount of hot water in my (somewhat) long shower was to shave my legs because let's face it, shaving your legs when cold is another form of torture. Unfortunately, my sad saga does not end there. As I was standing in the freezing water for the first few minutes I realized I should most likely stretch my legs after running for that length of time. I swear only this would happen to me...as I went to lift my left foot behind me and hold it to the back of my thigh to stretch, I hit the faucet and whacked the (pardon my french) crap out of my foot, instantly leaving a half-inch crater/blood-under-the-skin bruise. Really Sarah? And it had to happen in the beginning of my supposedly-refreshing shower so that for the remaining time, all I could think of was the pain shooting down to my foot. Oh, but don't worry, as I got out of the tub I hit the same foot at the exact same spot on the edge, causing it to bleed. Dear Lord, I need Your help and I need it bad. Let's just say, James came home from football practice to a very sad little girl. On the bright side, we had queso! I dare you to find a situation in which hot, melty cheese does not remedy. It's impossible. The best part was that when I told James on the phone that I had an injury I had to add "A real one this time!" Usually when I show him my injuries his first word is "Where?" My three-year-olds and I have much in common. It's why we get along so well :)

So that concludes my long, drawn-out tale of my Sunday evening. How was yours?

Monday. Dooms Day. Just kidding but I firmly believe that my kiddos did not get any sleep whatsoever the entire weekend and brought all that overly tired energy to school with them. It was one of those mornings where I was absolutely exhausted by 10:58 a.m. (I arrive at 10:00....yeah.). But during blessed nap time, in addition to fervently praying for the Holy Spirit to transcend upon all of the little bodies in the room and magically make them wake up with sweet, peaceful, gentle little souls, I {very} hastily pulled together a bear hunt. Allow me to introduce to you Dr. Jean. For all those non-teachers or moms that are not familiar with Dr. Jean, she is a lady who sings songs that children absolutely love. The downside? Her accent!!! I don't know where she is from but she has a voice that literally drives me up the wall. I sincerely apologize to any Dr. Jean fanatics out there but in my defense I do greatly appreciate her music. She has one song, "The Cool Bear Hunt" that the kids practically beg me for every day. In the song, you pack an imaginary backpack with the essentials - crackers, milk, and a flashlight, then set off on an incredible bear hunt through a candy factory, a peanut butter river, and even a jello swamp in search of a bear with "big green eyes and a fuzzy little tail". Well, our already small classroom was WAY too small for the amount of energy radiating from my kids so I decided we would conduct our own bear hunt on the playground after our afternoon snack. So back to nap time: I drew, traced, cut out, adorned, laminated, and cut out again 18 little bears that looked like the outline of a rabbit if you turn them upside-down. Then I raced out to the playground in the last 5 minutes of their nap to duct tape them in secret spots all over the place. I totally get why my dad always loved doing egg hunts for me and my sister growing up - it is so much fun seeing the kids hunt and get SO excited when they find them! I wish I had a video camera, they were absolutely precious! Of course, there are always those kids that get extremely sad and upset when they are not finding any bears (despite the fact they just found three). I was that child. The kids had so much fun that they begged for another bear hunt. So I sent them in with the teacher assistant, re-taped all those little bears (why did I take the tape off and throw it away after the first hunt, I don't know), and run around in the 100 degree weather like a crazy person. But so worth it!!

Pretty cute for working in a serious time crunch huh? And the eyelashes were a must.

Fall into the Lord!

Psalm 94:18-19 "When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." I absolutely love the imagery that this verse brings to mind about the love and support that the Lord so freely gives to us. I always think that if you are going through a rough patch, which we all have, and you feel as if you are about to fall, just fall into Jesus. Trust me, He is infinitely better to fall into versus falling into disappointment, grief, anger, or whatever other emotions rough patches like to bring up in us. He is there, ready and willing to catch you, bringing joy, peace, and consolation. And what's more, He has been waiting for you all your life and will continue waiting until you return to Him. Let us embrace this love today!

Fall has arrived at the Sebesta household! Although it does not quite feel like it outside, Hobby Lobby and I came to an agreement this Labor Day...it is most definitely the fall season! My sweet mama gave me an early Christmas present (who hasn't heard of advent in August?!)....a gift card to the wonderful world of Hob Lob!!! I literally spent 2 hours on my day off on Monday perusing the aisles of fabulous decorative pumpkins, fall foliage, and assorted autumn awesome-ness, while sneeking a peak down the Christmas aisle to plan out what I will spend my other half of the gift card on (ok...I'm really bad at estimating and didn't quite divide it evenly). I am proud to say that for less than the cost of a professional fall wreath even at 50% off, which in my opinion are so overpriced, I created my own wreath, a little decorative sign, a decorative pot, and a football spirit sign. Now I just have to wait one week to put everything out. Allow me to share the laborious efforts of my Labor Day. I might have sipped on a homemade chai latte while crafting, just to put that faux fall crisp in the air. How James puts up with me I will never know ha!

My fall wreath...slightly rambunctious. I could not for the life of me remember how to do a wreath bow so I settled for a big knot and entwined the ribbon throughout. James's first words were, "Cheetah ribbon?" You betcha!

All that's in this baby is the 4 pumpkins/gourds and a fall garland I already had in a pot I already had. Everything else inside is Styrofoam. Looks full huh?

Thanks 50% off scrapbooking paper!

This one I think I'll wait to put up until closer to November (ok, maybe October...I'm not a patient person). And I think I'll adhere it to a piece of wood or something to make it a little sturdier. That's just 2 pieces of scrapbooking paper, some leftover cheetah ribbon from the wreath, gold glitter stickers, and 2 leaves and a pine cone I plucked off of my garland.

Speaking of fall, aka falling, I absolutely stink at wakeboarding! We visited my parents at their beautiful lake house on Lake Travis and I tried this (awful) water sport for the first time ever! I know I lack all natural talent for anything related to sports (this stems from horrific p.e. experiences in 5th and 6th grade when I was forced to play dodge ball against a team of boys that most likely should have been in 8th grade at least. 60 pounds AND glasses? Recipe for disaster.) But I didn't realize it extends to water sports as well! Now, according to my parents, husband, sister, and soon-to-be bro-in-law, I have to try it on more than two different occasions to get better but I truly expected to be somewhat good somewhat fast! These same people I call family also told me that I would be SO much better on Sunday morning than Saturday afternoon. Guess what? I was worse. Thanks for giving me false hope mom. Why do you have to be so encouraging of your daughter who cried when forced to go to softball practice in 3rd grade due to the fact that you just painted her nails? I decided I am the boat sitter/encourager of others wakeboarding attempts.

Somehow after my weekend of falling and getting my arms yanked out of their sockets by a rope tied to a moving water vehicle left me floundering when it came to my last run of week 4. I don't know what happened but the Lady of the Lake took all my coordination and stamina. It wasn't just the fact that I tired way faster than usual, it was the fact that I could not get a somewhat normal/decent rhythm down while running. My knees were actually knocking together with each step...how does that happen? All the while my arms were going at an off-beat pace....let's just say it was not a pretty sight to those unfortunate souls who did not have Labor Day off. And I know I have exaggerated about dog chasing me before but seriously, a pit bull began to run after me as soon as I stepped off of our duplex stairs. Sorry to judge a book by it's cover, but pit bull...consider yourself pre-judged. My pathetic-ness got even more pathetic as I walked back to James's car (luckily we walked out the door at the same time and he had not left for school yet) and made him drive me down to the front of the neighborhood to avoid this dog and his natural tendency to chase after a girl whose legs look remarkably like small chicken legs....tasty. Disregard the fact that James pointed out - "you realize that dog's tail was wagging when he walked up to you". That means nothing to this scaredy cat!

Well my sweet husband was a very happy man this weekend.....Aggie football!! I think a little piece of him died slightly due to the fact that we did not get tickets to the actual game. But we had a great time tailgating before and made it home in time to shower off, make some delicious food and watch it on TV! I think that was the first time I have not been melting in my own puddle of sweat while watching those Aggies. And I made up for us not going with an appetizer I made up last minute in our kitchen and a family staple! Enjoy...

Eat-Your-Heart-Out-Totinos Pizza Rolls

So I wanted to do an appetizer that was beyond our usual cheese and crackers or chips and salsa package. I looked in our fridge and saw that we had leftover ingredients from making a pizza the other week and voila! It's not super creative but sooo yummy!

1 package crescent roll dough

Jar of pizza sauce

Italian seasoning 

Pepperonis (I used the turkey kind...don't tell James...)

Shredded mozzarella

I bet you can tell where I'm headed with this:

1. Unroll all of the crescent roll triangles on a baking sheet.

2. Spoon a little bit of sauce on each piece.

3. Top with Italian seasoning, pepperonis (4-5 per piece), and cheese.

4. Roll up, starting with short side of the triangle, leaving the point-side down on the sheet.

5. Bake according to crescent roll package instructions (I believe it was 375 for 11-13 minutes).

And just think of the possibilities! I think I want to try a pesto, chicken, and cheese roll next...to be continued!

King Ranch Casserole

Making this brought back so many childhood memories. We grew up eating this quite frequently and I was pleased to see that it tasted as good as I remembered! I served mine up with a side of black beans and chips. Fortunately for James, he loved it! If things had been otherwise....hello marriage counselor!

4 chicken breasts (or 2 roasted chickens)

1 dozen corn tortillas, cut into pieces

1 chopped onion

2 cups grated cheese

King Ranch Sauce:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 can Rotel

1/2 can chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook chicken in a small amount of lightly salted water until tender. Cut into pieces. (I didn't read this part and just did it in my usual olive oil way).

3. In a 2.5 quart greased casserole dish (I used 8x8 glass dish for my halved version), place a layer of chicken, half of the tortillas, half the chopped onion, half of the cheese, and half of the King Ranch sauce.

4. Repeat the layers ending with grated cheese (I snuck some more cheese on top at the end).

5. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour.

My labor of love (aka preschool) picked back up with surprisingly wonderful weather! So my fall decor did have an impact muahaha! We spent alot of our time enjoying the cool 88 degree weather, moving our circle time read aloud outside to the shade under a giant tree and playing with bubbles (the messiest fun ever created!), balls, sidewalk chalk, and a huge parachute. I passed on my extensive knowledge of hopscotch to these young members of society, a job I felt was extremely urgent in a world where many children stay holed up in their rooms attached to some sort of electronic game or gadget. Best quote of the day came from my precious little cowboy who I told to go potty once he woke up from his nap. Sitting on his mat in a just-woken-up-daze, I told him to go potty in a quiet voice so I wouldn't disturb the other sleeping babies. He just stared at me..."What?" I repeated. "What?" Finally, the message was conveyed. As I helped another student with her shoes, my little cowboy walked over to me, put his hands on his knees to get real close to my face, and told me in his loud twang, "If you talk louder I can hear you!" Point taken.

To end this note about fall and all things wonderful, I am so honored to introduce to you the best cookies in the entire world. Seriously. I give to you....waffle cookies! Nothing about these are like a waffle other than the fact that you bake them in a waffle iron. Score for us whose kitchen turns into an absolute inferno when the oven is on for any length of time! I got this recipe from my college roommate's mama and had to physically restrain myself from eating the entire batch before James even got home. I did have to do quite a few taste tests to really make sure they came out well...

Waffle Cookies

2 sticks butter

4 squares unsweetened chocolate (or 4 Tbsp. oil and 12 Tbsp. cocoa)

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

(side note...I mixed everything together and preheated the waffle iron before I realized I was out of flour. Don't worry I had just come home from a Walmart trip. Winner.)

2 tsp. vanilla

Icing:

1 stick butter (soft melted, not runny)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla and about 1 Tbsp. milk

1. Melt butter and chocolate in microwave.

2. Add remaining ingredients.

3. Drop by spoonful on medium hot waffle iron. (I had mine too low to begin with and they weren't cooking so I cranked mine up to medium-high)

4. Cook for 5-7 minutes, checking every minute or so.

5. Once cool, ice ice baby!

Get in my belly now!!!

 

Quiet your soul, Quiet your hunger

Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." How incredible is our God that he should rejoice over us with singing while we are so unworthy of this deep affection and unbelievable love? I think my favorite part of this verse is he promise to quiet you with his love. At times, according to my husband, I can be a bit too loud and get riled-up and I just picture God whispering and soothing me with his love.  He is also there to quiet you when you get stressed or anxious, letting self-defeating thoughts or doubts enter your mind about your ability to be who God has called you to be. Let His love wash over you today and refresh you. Let his joyous singing over you, his precious child, encourage you. Let his mighty power to save call you back to Him.

I apologize on my lack of blogging recently. Life has gotten super busy but I have many random, odd things to update you on...where to begin....

So, we got an email the other day from our cable/internet provider about the suspicious (and enormous) amount of Internet use through Netflix recently. Apparently our Mad Men addiction has been found out! However, we still refuse treatment. Instead, to counteract the withdrawal symptoms we had been experiencing, we got hooked on another show supplied to us by Netflix...Parks and Recreation! (Or PAR as we like to call it. The first time I said that James thought I was trying to spell out "park" and just forgot the "k"....really? I'm a teacher here!) Unfortunately, we might have already finished all the seasons. But in our defense there were not as many seasons to begin with and the episodes are only averaging about 27-ish minutes! We don't need help!! (Denial, anyone?)

In the C25K update, I just finished the second day of week 4. The first one was quite a shock...I don't know where Clarisse is getting this from? After the usual 5-minute warm-up walk, it is 3 minutes of running, 90 seconds of walking (which is like the time it takes me to take a drink of water and will myself to continue living), 5 minutes of running, then 2 and a half minutes of walking. Then repeat! As I was complaining to myself and a bird watching me from the stoplight, I almost forgot that the whole point of this thing is to run for longer than running from Chick-fil-A to my car on a rainy day so as not to let the rain ruin my crispy waffle fries. I guess I'm just going to have to get used to this so-called "five minute" thing. Also, a gnat literally flew into my mouth. Today was slightly better. I didn't as tired as quickly, although by the end of the last five-minute run (before which Clarisse always says, "You've got just one run left, keep going!" Yeah, but it's for 5 minutes. I believe that far outweighs the excitement one feels knowing it's the last one), I definitely got my running mullet on. That's where you pump your arms like you are running at a good, hard pace, but your legs are moving so slowly it's more like a walk with a slight spring in it. Running on the top, walking on the bottom. Oh yeah. Finally, I was taking my three-minute running segment into a neighborhood when this guy, with his military haircut shining in the morning sun and his t-shirt dripping with gross exertion, came flying by me, Forrest Gump style (head slightly back, arms pumping ridiculously, sprinting). Although he did have to run with his arms away from his body because, as we all know so well, our biceps sometimes refuse to let us put our arms touch our sides. I just really hate it when that happens to me. Between the deep breaths I was suppose to be concentrating on as dictated by Clarisse, a quiet, gasping "show-off" might have escaped. I also fulfilled my dream of listening to British rap.

As far as school is going, these kids are definitely showing their true colors. What a group of, let's say, "bold" or "strong" personalities I got! But in all the challenging times, they still say and do the cutest things, which just
keeps me coming back. One of my precious little girls, whose mom very accurately describes her as the dog from the movie "Up" that gets distracted by squirrels, was sitting on my lap the other day on the playground, facing me with her tiny little legs wrapped around my waist. She began to inquire about my freckles on my chest and arms, wondering why I have polka-dots and asking if they can come off haha! Yesterday, during lunch, this same little one wanted my opinion on Cheetos. After I shared that I do in fact find Cheetos most agreeable, she offered me one of her way-too-bright-orange-to-be-natural snacks. I declined, asking her to eat it instead because it was her lunch. She continued to push the Cheeto closer and closer to my face, saying, "The airplane is cominnnnggggg". Haha, I wonder where she has heard that one before?

This week, to practice their scissor skills, I boiled a big pot of spaghetti and brought the cooked noodles to school. Piling up the noodles in big pans with fairly deep sides in an attempt to keep most of the noodles off of the floor, I set out scissors and let them go to town. Oh my goodness, we sat there for so long cutting and cutting and cutting and cutting some more. Alot of my boys were really engaged in this activity which was awesome considering many boys tend to shy away from fine motor skills like cutting or painting. After most of the noodles had been cut into small pieces, we started hunting for the elusive noodles that somehow had escaped. We also painted with ice on a huge piece of butcher paper on the floor. What a mess! But it was a fun, learning-filled mess! They noticed that the ice was melting and somehow (gasp!) turned into...water! I love it when they discover new things that seem so small to us. Keeps life in perspective :)

In food news, we got the cookie bug the other day so I made some oatmeal raisin cookies. Except, I had one teeny little box of raisins so I made craisin-raisin-oatmeal cookes instead! Seriously, this dough was SO addicting! I think from dough alone we probably inhaled at least 3 cookies. Each time I set a ball of dough on the cookie sheet I had to eat it off of my fingers. Dough on the sheet, dough for me, dough on the sheet, dough for me. Of course then we had to try the baked ones too, in order to make sure they really were good. I can say with complete assurance that yes, these cookies are good, not only raw but baked as well. And the craisins really add a nice touch! I think James was iffy when I told him my master plan of mixing the two, but the tartness goes so well with the sweetness and cinnamon.

Oatmeal (Craisin) Raisin Cookies

3 eggs, well beaten

1 cup raisins (or craisins, or both)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups oatmeal

3/4 cup chopped pecans (I omitted)

1. Combine eggs, raisins, and vanilla and let stand for 1 hour, covered with saran wrap. This is seriously the secret to this family recipe!!! Do not omit!!

2. Cream together butter and both kinds of sugar.

3. Add flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda to mixture. Mix well.

4. Blend in egg-raisin mixutre, oatmeal, and nuts if using. Dough will be stiff.

5. Drop heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet or roll into small balls and flatten slightly.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

I also tried a recipe from my family that I had not made before...crispy sesame chicken! So tasty and so easy! James had a super long day yesterday and didn't get home til 9:00 so we definitely pigged out on this one! I made a few changes and additions.

Crispy Sesame Chicken

(This makes 4 servings, I halved it when I made it.)

1 1/4 cups cornflake crumbs

1/4 cup sesame seeds

3/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

dash of red pepper

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

2 Tbsp. honey

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 

(I cut mine into bite-size pieces. Cooked way faster and easier to eat!)

vegetable cooking spray

2 Tbsp. melted butter

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large ziploc baggie, set aside.

2. Combine yogurt and honey in shallow dish, stir well to mix.

3. Add chicken (breasts or pieces if you cut it like me) to yogurt mixture, turning to coat.

4. Remove chicken from mixture and add to bag. Seal and shake to coat.

5. Place chicken on baking sheet coated with cooking spray and drizzle with melted butter.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minuted (my small pieces cooked in about 15 minutes) or until done.

Here's where I made some additions: I mixed up another batch of the yogurt-honey mix and added the spices that you made for the chicken (paprika, salt, ginger, and black pepper - I didn't have red). Then I cut up broccoli, green onions, green bell pepper, and shredded carrots and stir-fried them in a skillet in oil over high heat. I made some microwave brown rice, added the veggies and yogurt mixture, stirred together, then topped with the sesame chicken. The yogurt mixture helped the rice stick together more (no one likes dry rice, it's all about the sauce!) And the veggies made it a complete meal!