A Good Day

This is a special day for a couple of my friends, so I apologize in advance for writing such a long post.

Beth and I met on our first day of Seminary in 1997. We were completing new student registration and began talking while standing in line. Instantly I knew I liked her. I had no idea we would remain good friends for all of these years. 

Since that day, we attended many seminary classes together, served together as Disciple Now leaders more than once and went to church together on Sunday nights (she worked at the church during morning hours). Although she never said anything, I observed her take note of her husband long before they were friends. :) We went on a mission trip to Brazil and were roommates; I was in her wedding and at the hospital when her first and second children were born (she preferred I visit at the house for the third and fourth, so I did); and most recently, she was in my wedding. 

Beth Brady is a faithful friend. God has used her in more ways than she knows to shape who I am today. I love her so. God has been good to us over the years, blessing our lives and our friendship.

Ours is the kind of friendship that has withstood a lot of change. I remember too giddy school girls talking about seminary boys in our cars late at night in the church parking lot. I remember two friends who applied for the same ministry position: one got it, the other one was more qualified and would have done better at it. I remember a professor calling us out in class for writing notes as he lectured. I remember playing an adapted version of musical chairs at a youth event and getting ketchup, mustard and syrup smeared all over my shorts. I remember meeting and loving her parents. 

I remember taking a road trip to Alabama to attend her cousin's college graduation (practically speaking, her sister). I remember lying on the cold ceramic tile of an airport floor in Brazil after a scary, hard landing. I remember strolling to the beach to get a glimpse of the ocean before taking the next flight out. I remember driving by her first apartment and calling to see if I could drop by to hang out. I remember sitting in chapel hearing Matt preach for the first time. I remember a road trip to Jackson when she was pregnant with her first baby girl. I remember a sweet newborn sleeping on my shoulder at a baby shower thrown by their former church. And I remember so much more. 
  

Today is Matt and Beth's Anniversary. They were married on March 31, 2001. 

Matt Brady was in seminary with us. Even though I didn't spend a lot of time around him in those days, I observed enough to know he had the kind of character and integrity that is rare, even in a seminary. When Beth told me she was dating Matt and knew she'd marry him, I couldn't have been more thrilled. She couldn't have chosen a better man to marry. I couldn't have been more at ease knowing my best friend would be married to a man who would treat her commensurate with her high value as a woman of godly character.

They've had some fruitful years both with family and ministry. These are their precious children: 

This also is a special day for another friend. 

Amy Whittington and I met while working on staff at the seminary. Our offices were right down the hall from one another so we crossed paths often in those early days. I did whatever I could to help her when she needed something; she was pleasant to work with and diligent in her job. Those qualities in Amy gave me an instant appreciation for her and time built a friendship I wouldn't trade for anything. 

In my working world, Amy is what I've always called a go-getter. She is passionate about the Lord, about ministry and about loving people. My respect for the way she approached her work, her ministry, her relationships and her life grew in me a deep love for this sweet friend. 

When I became a departmental director at the seminary, I had the opportunity to hire a full time secretary to replace the lady who'd just left. Amy was an obvious choice. The beauty of that situation was that I knew she would work diligently because of her depth of character. Not only did I respect her work and her work ethic, I respected her keen judgment. Our friendship wouldn't be a problem for either of us. I could literally leave her to her work and know with our continued open communication (that was natural as friends) that our office would function with excellency. 

When she decided to take classes at the seminary, I fought to keep her full time even though she'd step out of the office for an hour long class here and there. When she became a full time student I lost her from my office, but she became one of my students. By then, she was dating Austin and he was in my classes too. 

I remember a day he gave her yellow roses and she became very nervous about his plans for their relationship. She knew by then that she wanted to marry him and thought the yellow "friendship" roses might be an indication of different thinking on his part. I saw it. Do you know what I mean? 

Sometimes when a Christian couple begin dating and you see them together, something in your spirit just says, "This is it. God put them together and it is real." Yellow flowers or not, I knew what God was doing and in her heart of hearts so did she; it was merely a brief moment of uncertainty about his thinking. 

It was such a joy to see them become engaged and get married. To see them graduate and begin their places of ministry. To watch as they faithfully served our Lord and reaped many blessings in ministry, life and love. 

Now they have a sweet boy named Tyler. He is a delight. 

Austin and Amy Whittington were married March 31, 2007. 

Austin and I met for the first time on the phone. He was a prospective student and I was his admissions counselor. We had a great conversation and I remember him telling me later (after he enrolled and was in one of my classes) that he was impressed that I had prayed with him on the phone that God would lead him where he was to attend seminary (among other things). I remember being so impressed with him because his godly character was obvious just in that one conversation. 

When Austin and Amy were dating and I knew they'd get married, I couldn't have been more thrilled. God did it again. He put together two incredibly godly people and it was obvious He was at work in forming this union.

Austin and Amy were exceptional students and they've served the Lord well in ministry over the years. Many times I felt insufficient as a professor, but one day after they'd both graduated, Amy told me how often in their early days of ministry that they discussed things I'd taught them and how applicable those lessons were for their ministries. What an encouragement that was to hear. 

I was there for their wedding in 2007 and they were there for mine in 2011. Matt and I even went to the same resort for our honeymoon as did Amy and Austin based on her comments after her return. They have been a blessing in my life and I value Amy's friendship over the years more than she knows. I love you, sweet friend.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

MATT & BETH

AUSTIN & AMY!

I LOVE YOU!!

Down by the Sea

Growing up we didn't eat much seafood. Mom and I liked several kinds, but Dad and Tracey couldn't even stand the smell of it. The older I grew the more often I ordered fried shrimp or catfish at restaurants. 

Matt enjoys seafood and likes to add lighter meals in with all that beef we both enjoy. I'm a Southern girl so I always lean toward fried seafood. There's nothing light about that!

Since we've been married, I've baked a lot of seafood. This week was not one of those weeks. 

I found a recipe for Bang Bang Shrimp that looked appetizing. Admittedly, I had to improvise a little on the crust (I didn't quite have enough Panko for the breading). Believe it or not, I added crushed corn flakes to make up the difference and it worked!

Fearful of the spicy sauce, I served it on the side. (The recipe called for mixing the shrimp in the sauce.) 

 Our leftovers served as an appetizer later :)

For Matt, the Cheddar Biscuits I baked to go with them stole the show. 

In case you're interested, here are the recipes: 

Bang Bang Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• For the sauce:
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 4-5 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, such as Sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• For the egg mixture:
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• For the breading mixture:
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• For frying:
• 8 to 12 cups vegetable oil

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl; cover and set aside.

Combine beaten egg with milk in shallow bowl; set aside.

Combine flour, panko, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and basil in another shallow bowl; set aside.

Bread the shrimp by first coating each with the breading mixture. Dip breaded shrimp into the egg and milk mixture, and then back into the breading. Arrange the coated shrimp on a plate and pop them into the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This step will help the breading to stick on the shrimp when they are frying.

Heat oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Use amount of oil required by your fryer.

When oil is hot, fry shrimp 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on rack or paper towels.

When all shrimp has been fried, drop the shrimp into a large bowl. Spoon about 1/4 cup of sauce over shrimp and stir gently to coat. Yield: 4 servings. 

Next time, I'll try about 3 teaspoons of the chili sauce rather than 5. Matt and I like flavorful meals and even like a little heat at times. This recipe calls for more heat than we would usually enjoy. 

Cheddar Biscuits

TIME: Prep: 15 min. Cook: 20 min.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups biscuit baking mix
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet, or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine baking mix, Cheddar cheese, and garlic powder. Stir in milk. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Brush biscuits with melted margarine, and sprinkle with parsley and garlic salt. Bake for 5 more minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom. Yield: 8 biscuits.

My recipe selection in these early days of marriage has been influenced by living down by the sea.

East Coast Livin'

One Saturday morning recently, Matt and I had a day with nothing planned. He has been working more on Saturdays lately, but he decided to work a couple of hours at home instead of making the trip downtown. 

We had a typical lazy Saturday morning, sleeping late and eating a big breakfast. Just as we finished eating, as he looked out the window, Matt said, "It's such a beautiful day today. Let's drive to the coast this afternoon since we haven't made a trip out to the ocean yet." I was surprised, to be sure, but quickly agreed. 

Matt worked a bit while I cleaned the kitchen and got ready for our trip. We left early in the afternoon...

 Our Shadows

 Matt's Shadow Creeping Mine :)

 The Ferry

 It was a bit windy and cold.

  Breaking in!

 We saw this anchor in town and as my college sorority's symbol, I had to have a pic.

 This is a cannonball that became lodged in this home's foundation in the War of 1812.

 Our view at the restaurant where we ate for dinner.

 My camera was zoomed in more than I realized. Oops!

 Still don't have the self-portraiture down, but it's getting better!

 

Dinner is served.

We had a great road trip and wonderful date day visiting and exploring the coast!

New Lessons

On a bus headed to Pennsylvania, my good friend Micah and I talked about life and how God has walked with us on our journey to where we are today. It was a very encouraging conversation and in the midst of it we talked about books we've benefited from reading. I can't wait to read one she recommended. 

 Sadly I didn't get a photo of us on this trip, but here we are with Elmo in NY at Christmastime.

With our conversation fresh on my mind the next day, I perused my bookcase to see if there were any other titles that have been favorites on the subject of marriage. Boundaries in Marriage is one I mentioned to her, so I slid it off the shelf to thumb through it again. As I looked at it, I realized I hadn't finished it. 

Even though I haven't completed Leaving the Light On, I decided I'd go back and forth reading these two books until both have been read. I'm so glad I've taken some time to read more in the Boundaries book. 
 
Right now I'm reading a section that talks about 6 things to keep as priorities in our marriages. So far I've only read the chapters on 1. Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and 2. Loving our neighbor as ourselves. I'm eager to read the next chapters.

An indirect benefit of reading the boundaries book was a new realization. Matt and I have talked about having a family, but we haven't talked about what we expect that to look like. A major part of premarital counseling is helping bridge the gap between what she thinks married life will look like and what he thinks it will look like. Expectations that are unmet cause the greatest number of problems in any relationship. 

Bringing a child into our home and our relationship will change the dynamic; I guess that's what's made me hesitant recently. I'm not really sure what to expect and I'm not sure if I'm adequately prepared. 

I found it quite timely to read a blog post today that a friend linked on Facebook (Dream of Motherhood). This mom talked about how faulty her expectations were about parenthood and how she thinks it's as important to have preparental counseling as it is to have premarital counseling. 

How affirming this was to me since I had just asked Matt if over dinner on our next date we could talk about our personal pictures of what we expect our family life to look like with children. My guess is we will surprise one another with some of our thoughts, but at least we'll find out now! 

Praise the Lord for the way He leads and equips us for all He has planned. 

Scrumptious

Thanks again to allrecipes.com, I've found another fabulous recipe. Instead of serving this as an appetizer, I put it with roasted potatoes and a small tomato/avocado salad for dinner.

Matt said this is one of his favorites so far.

It's a good thing Matt eats slowly. I almost forgot to get a pic!

Shrimp Gabriella 

TIME: Prep: 35 min. Cook: 15 min.

Ingredients:

• 15 large shrimp
• 6 ounces provolone cheese, cut into 15 strips
• 1 can green chiles, diced
• 8 slices bacon, cut in half
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce

Directions:

Peel, devein and butterfly the shrimp or prawns. (To butterfly shrimp: Split shrimp down the center, cutting almost completely through.)

Precook the bacon in the microwave, approximately 2-3 minutes. Let cool.

Insert a strip of provolone cheese and 1/2 teaspoon of the diced green chilies into each shrimp. Fold over the shrimp and wrap with a half strip of bacon. Secure with wooden picks.

Cook shrimp on grill (or in a 400 degree preheated oven), basting with your favorite barbecue sauce, until bacon is cooked crisp and shrimp is pink. If you bake them, be sure to spray the pan with cooking spray before setting the shrimp down. Yield: 2 servings.

Coffee Caddy

This is one of my favorite conveniences in our 3-story townhouse:

With our room on the third floor and the kitchen on the first, I came up with this solution to save Matt some steps when retrieving his morning coffee. Now that we've been using this little coffee station for a while, I realize how helpful it is to have it in our room when getting ready for bed. Naturally that's when we'd think to set up the pot to start automatically.

I think we've probably avoided many extra trips downstairs after late night forgetfulness. Occasionally I do get caught short on travel mugs, but I can always grab one in the morning while Matt is getting ready for work. 

Recently, though, while we were sick and Matt was two seconds from drifting off into dreamland, he mentioned how handy it would be to have a little refrigerator in our room too. (We needed to keep something to drink by our beds at night for dry, itchy throats and troublesome coughs.) In all likelihood, he was not the least bit serious about his suggestion, but I had to admit that I'd toyed with buying one for our room a few months ago.

When it came down to it, I decided to wait on buying a little refrigerator until we are expecting a baby. My sister finds her mini-frig is quite handy for keeping bottles prepared for nighttime feedings. No worries though, her mini-microwave that sits on top always took care of warming it for baby.

As for me and our mini-frig, we've got time. For now, I'll just keep enjoying the convenience of our little coffee caddy.

Holding Out

We've been attending Rosedale since our second week here after the Honeymoon. It didn't take long to know it was the church for us. Even still, we went week after week without joining the membership. 

Shortly after moving here, our Pastor announced from the pulpit that the church acquired an organizational license plate with the church logo, initials and website address. We were invited as a congregation to apply for a license plate and become a driving advertisement. 

Matt and I easily decided to apply because we had yet to switch over our plates and knew we were in the place God wanted us. The plates were delayed in their arrival since the DMV ran out of them. Even still, the plates arrived before we joined the church. 

In fact, when we had dinner with the Pastor he asked us about our membership and Matt mentioned that we'd ordered the plates. He offered that as a sign of our commitment to join. 

The next week at church, the Pastor mentioned wanting to see the plates on our car. I promptly teased that we hadn't put them on the car yet and that he should take that as an accurate reflection of our overall commitment to the church. The expression on his face was telling...I don't think he realized I was joking ;)

Matt often teased as well, saying he was holding out until he tested the limits of how much everyone wants us to join. What they'd be willing to do to get us in and so forth. I wonder if they've known what to make of us. :)

In the meantime, our Sunday School teacher invited Matt and I to begin serving within the hospitality ministry as greeters. Matt was quick to agree and we attended a meeting the next week. The week after we received our on-the-job training. A couple weeks after that we served on our own for the first time. All before we joined the church. 

We may be getting things a little out of order.

As of the week of February 20, I'm happy to report I replaced our tags with the Rosedale plates and Matt led us to join the church! 

Ahhh...Rosedale is officially our church home. 

 The church logo on the left, Pastor on the right and sanctuary with congregation in the background (A cool composite picture of the church I found online)

Quirky, Maybe?

You may think I'm a bit quirky when I admit that I go back and read past blog entries. I guess I see this as an online diary of sorts. It's nice going back to remember...

What's not so nice is seeing errors in posts, especially grammatical errors. My parents paid a pretty penny for my private school education and it seems I should be using it for some good purpose even now, even as a housewife. :) 

When I go back to read, I admit I change the errors I find. Sometimes I even gasp when I find a mistake. You may be surprised to read my admission, I proofread each entry at least twice before posting. To find errors even after that amount of scrutiny is shameful (in my world).

When I find formatting errors, now that's just irritating. Formatting each blog post can be a bit of a pain. In order to have the posts appear as I'd like, I have to make several adjustments to the text and spacing. 

When I've previewed a post to my satisfaction and later find odd spacing (as I did tonight on the Better Days entry) I get a little frustrated. When the post continues to retain blank lines in odd places within the content of my post no matter what I do, that frustration intensifies.

On the page where new posts are composed, I noticed a button I've never used before. It's an HTML button. I decided to click it to see what may be going on with my messed up entry. That's when I saw some underlying code that was placing blank lines in my post even when there were no blank lines in the composition.

What I was doing in tug-of-war fashion on the composition side for 15 minutes or more with no headway was resolved in 15 seconds or so on the HTML side. Thank the Lord for a Bellevue buddy who taught me some basics about HTML code a few years ago! Problem solved.

In hindsight, rereading previous posts for nostalgia's sake may not be the quirkiest thing you've read about me today ;) Hmm...

Role Reversal

Apparently someone needed to tell my husband his role in our relationship. You see there is always one in a married couple, but it's supposed to be the man. 

This is mine. Not Matt's. Mine. 

Yes, I have a t-shirt I still wear that not only has two rather large holes in the front, but also is 20 years old. Laugh if you must. This morning was a wake up call when my husband mocked me for my choice ;)

It would seem I'm the one with the typical bachelor qualities, while Matt is quite good about things like old t-shirts, putting dirty dishes in the kitchen, grooming and showering (multiple times in a day, if necessary).

Yes...all too often, I'm the one who leaves the dinner dishes in the room we eat (planning to take care of it the next morning while Matt's at work). I'm the one who may skip a day with taking a shower (if I'm not going out and haven't gotten sweaty or dirty during the day). I'm the one who wears holey socks and t-shirts and wears wrinkled, slouchy clothes around the house.

Believe it or not, I don't compromise as often in these areas as I did when I was single. My husband's good habits are motivating me to do better. My flossing frequency is up to every other day! :)

In the meantime, all I can say is mock away, sweet husband. I'll get my act together eventually ;)

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Matt and I occasionally watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, but typically we are not ones to explore establishments that might one day make the show. My friend Hannah and I are not eager when our husbands suggest eating at a diner, although as newlyweds we silently go along. I'm beginning to think this interest in diners may be an Indiana thing. :) [For those of you who don't know, Jordan's and Matt's hometowns are about 15 minutes apart in Indiana.]

We have managed to enjoy the diners we've visited so far and a couple Sundays ago was one of those days for Matt and me. With our friends going in all directions after church, we were going it alone. The lure of a quick, lite meal was appealing so we might spend a long afternoon and evening at home. A rare experience on a Sunday. 

Matt ordered a Gyro that came with a side of fries and a Greek salad. His meal (minus the salad) looked like this: 

If you saw the size of the salad, you'd know this was hardly a lite meal. 

As I looked at the menu, it was so hard for me to decide what I wanted. There were so many options. Finally I settled on this: 

Sorry, but I dug into it a little bit before I thought to take a picture. This is half of a roasted chicken...YES, HALF of a CHICKEN...sitting on a bed of stuffing. Along with it came a large side of fries and small bowl of corn. They shared another plate that I didn't photograph. The meal also came with a garden salad that was not only quite large, but as big as Matt's Greek salad.

The sheer volume of food was astounding (especially for the price). Needless to say, I took a full box to go and should have a couple more meals off the leftovers. WOW! 

A diner may not be the place to go lite.

Sweet Luxury

It's funny to me sometimes what I feel is luxurious. One of my Christmas gifts from Matt was this: 

This is what they look like in the package: 

And I'm really glad he got me the blue ones!

Matt didn't know it, but I registered for something similar at Bed, Bath and Beyond for our wedding. I felt a little odd about it because I can't imagine buying hair towels for someone as a wedding gift. 

Matt's way of shopping for gifts is to go to the mall or certain stores and walk around looking. If something strikes him as something that person would like, he purchases it. He doesn't have a budget in mind for gifts, so cost isn't an issue. He doesn't necessarily think about what that person needs or would like beforehand; he lets the idea for a good gift come to him while he is out thinking about that person. 

I'm not sure what led Matt to Bed, Bath and Beyond but when he saw these hair towels, I imagine he was led to make the purchase knowing I always use a regular bath towel to wrap my hair after a shower. Since I use one every day, I couldn't enjoy the luxury of this gift any more. Sometimes the simplest things provide me the sweetest luxury. 

Better Late than Never

Almost 2 years ago for Matt's birthday, I bought him an iPod Shuffle. At that point, we'd known one another for about 7 months and he'd mentioned on a couple of occasions that he'd enjoy having an iPod. 

There were a couple reasons I chose the Shuffle. Matt wanted to use it simply for music, so no video capability seemed useful to him. I knew he was a runner and thought with the new streamlined style and attached clip, it would be perfect for him while exercising.

A few days ago, after opening the CDs I bought him for Valentine's Day, Matt began downloading the music to iTunes. He said he was ready to charge the iPod and begin using it when we go to the gym. 

He loaded all the music into iTunes. I loaded it onto his iPod and charged it up. He's used it at the gym ever since.

It's better late than never...

Directionally Challenged

This is one of the wonderfully thoughtful gifts Matt gave me for Christmas: 

It took me a while, but I finally downloaded the free maps that came with my Garmin. It didn't take long to load them and take the new machine for a spin. (Not that I had anywhere new to go, of course.)

My confession is that I am severely directionally challenged. Even growing up and living in my hometown my whole life didn't help me find my way consistently. I did have a good sense overall of north, south, east and west. That helped me on many occasions as I also have a good sense of where all the major roads run. Even if I got a little turned around, I could figure out which way to go to find one of the familiar main roads. 

Where we live now, the roads are so confusing to me. I keep trying to learn how communities are associated with one another thinking that will help when looking at interstate signs. Sadly, I don't have it down yet.

The other night, I had a late run to the pharmacy and an office supply store. I decided to use the Garmin. The directions took me a different way than I'd gone before when leaving from the house. Once I caught up to familiar territory I understood why that was the route selected. I went on to an office supply store where I'd never been before, but it was in a familiar area. When I left to return home, I was guided a different route than I'd gone previously. 

One of the oddities about me is that at least 9 times out of 10, I will choose the wrong direction when facing that proverbial forked road. I don't know what is wired wrong internally that I am so consistently wrong in this area. 

The whole time I was out I kept having this internal angst that made me feel that I was taking the wrong exit or heading in the wrong direction every time. The farther I drove, the more I had this fearfulness creep up that I was getting very lost...at night time...in the dark. I kept worrying that I may not have entered the correct address or that the Garmin may not be reliable. By faith, I kept following the directions, even though the tension kept building. 

Eventually, I recognized where I was and I was right where I was supposed to be. The Garmin was completely reliable (and I suppose you could say...so were my wonky directional instincts! If only I could learn to ignore them!). 

Shortly after we were married, I assured Matt that if we are ever lost he can depend on me to find our way home. Just ask me which way I think we should go and head the opposite direction. Since then I recall him asking me once and he went the other way. Wise man, my husband. Going the other way got us back on track. :)

Retro Fun

Although I grew up in the early days of home video games, we didn't have a game system in our home. Occasionally I'd be at my cousins' or a friend's house and I'd play, obsessively. (That may be one reason my parents were never persuaded. They preferred we play outside.) 

In fact, I'd get so involved in the games that I'd actually lean, bob and weave, as if moving my body would help control my 'man' in the game. My sister, Tracey, was most entertained by watching me while I played. You'd probably laugh too...it must have been quite a sight. 

While looking at Best Buy for a particular game Matt and I plan to purchase for our new Wii, I found something that I couldn't pass up. 

Included is the Retro game! Pac-Man was always my favorite!

I've already proven that many years later (and a few gray hairs) doesn't make me any less prone to this obsession or bustin' a move trying to keep my man alive.

Ready for the Weekend

Matt and I love lazy Saturday mornings. Sleeping late. Lounging around. Big Breakfast. 

I made this recently:
 

Pancakes from scratch with macerated strawberries and whip cream with a side of bacon...YUM!

I'm always ready for the weekend.

How Long....

It amazes me sometimes how long it takes for me to learn a better way to do something. This time it has to do with laundry. 

For some reason, I always use to begin with laundering my clothing first and then "special loads" like sheets and towels. Since I wash all in one day, I've found it makes a lot more sense to wash sheets first then clothing and towels last.

My reason? Although I have several set of sheets, I tend to wash a set and put it back on the bed. Why should I unfold a clean set only to fold the one out of the wash in a couple of hours? To avoid the "extra work" I wash and return :)

While still single and maintaining my house, I found myself in a bind at bedtime, time after time. I'd get started with the laundry and get busy doing other things. With my mind on other tasks, I didn't hear the dryer stop and forgot about it. When I finally remembered, I'd rush in to add and change over loads. No matter my resolve to pay attention, I'd get busy again and let it sit idle unaware (mine didn't and this one doesn't have a buzzer). 

Inevitably, by the end of the day, I'd be rushing to go out with friends and not have time to finish. I'd come home to a stripped bed and wrinkled sheets in the dryer. The last thing I wanted to do late on Saturday night was take the time to make the bed.

I admit, there were times I didn't bother. I'd just toss a sheet and blanket on the mattress and go to sleep. (Isn't it sad that I probably had more of a bachelor lifestyle at home than Matt did while single?! Ha!)

Today, I started with the sheets and the bed was remade pretty early in the day. Yay! 

 Our bedroom

Now the clothes are in process. If towels are in the last load and are done late, who cares?! I'll just hang them back in the bathroom when I pull them from the dryer.

Changing the order of my laundry loads is a little thing, but it makes me feel good to simplify the process. I'm all about efficiency and simplicity...mainly because I'm basically lazy :)

A Special Occasion

On President's Day, Matt was off work and we went out to play. We started by stopping for lunch at Chipotle, then went on to the Aquarium in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. We had a few minutes to wait so we wandered around the pier looking out over the water and looked at a submarine and Coast Guard cutter docked at the pier. 

We toured the aquarium until it closed and saw all kinds of interesting sea creatures. Matt seemed to pay more attention to the eels, octopus and jellyfish. We both liked the sharks and rays. I liked the jellyfish and all the vibrantly colorful fish; red, blue, yellow, orange, rainbow and even ones with a pearl-like luster.

An escalator in the aquarium has a mirrored wall. With limited time to react, this was the best shot.

There is an atrium at the Aquarium as well. These pleasantly reminded Matt of the parrot Grandma and Grandpa Belstra used to have:

Afterward, we walked around the pier a little more and then I suggested we browse the Best Buy that's within a short walking distance. We weren't quite hungry enough for dinner yet, so we looked around the store for a while checking out Wii software and accessories. We didn't buy anything just yet, but we will acquire more software soon. 

Matt took me to dinner at a seafood restaurant near his work. He goes there occasionally for business dinners. It was nice and right on the water. We could look out our window to see several boats docked and to see a cool looking bridge in the near distance.

When I asked a waiter to take our picture, Matt commented that it was a special occasion. He remembered. :) 

It was a happy 6 month-iversary celebration with my Sweetheart!

New Buddies

It took me longer than it should have, but I finally made them: 

Muddy Buddies

...and they are good! YUM!

P.S. Laura, if I could airlift you a batch right now, I would.

Crafty

Crafting has never been a hobby of mine. Since I've been looking on Pinterest, I've found a few neat projects that have inspired me to create something similar. One of the reasons these crafts have grabbed my attention is because I'm thinking ahead to the day Matt and I have a child of our own.

These are the materials I gathered to begin this project: 

This is the end result:

My plan is to hang this in our child's bedroom if we have a little girl. I haven't quite settled how I want to hang it. Here's a shot of it with a braided yarn hanger I tried out. It may be too girly/frilly for my taste.

I think it turned out rather well.

A Perfect Match

Matt mentioned a few mornings ago that he's low on Pomade, but that I need not rush out that day to pick some up. (I tend to get things he mentions immediately.) He was giving me a few days notice. I smiled broadly, knowing I'd bought some a while ago in case I didn't have advance warning. At that moment, I hopped up and went to get it from my stash. Hm. Where did I put it?

Fast forward. It's been a week now and my sweet husband asked me this morning if I ever found it. No. I told him I looked everywhere twice...that I grew frustrated thinking it has to be here somewhere, but I still couldn't put my hands on it.

 Missing: 

He gently offered a few suggestions. Even followed up on whether or not I'd checked where he suggested before. Yes. I looked there and even that other place he mentioned. He offered new suggestions. I said yes, I looked there and there and even there. I guess I'll have to buy a new one. They are expensive though. I'd rather be able to produce the one I already purchased. 

Sadly, I had completely forgotten he needed it fairly soon. You see, I remembered my Mom's advice to me in childhood. Once you've looked "everywhere" for something, you should put it out of your mind and go about doing something else. It's there somewhere and it will turn up when you're not thinking about it. Following that advice and praying God would help me find the misplaced item has always led to it turning up. That hasn't happened yet this time and in the meantime, apparently I cleared my mind too well.

After discussing this saga with Matt this morning, I went downstairs to pack his lunch. He followed shortly after and just before walking out the door, he asked, "Do you see my coffee mug anywhere?" I didn't and told him I'd run up and find it. He suggested he must have left it in the man-cave (his office and t.v. room). I looked and it wasn't there. Up to our room on the third floor I sprung. 

The coffee. It was still in the pot with empty mugs lined up on the tray next to it. Ha! He didn't remember he hadn't poured it into a mug yet!

This is just one example of how perfect a match Matt and I are for one another. Absent-minded together :)

I could prove my point with further examples. Suffice it to say that we are so similar in several areas that I wonder if it's possible that we've influenced one another in a mere 6 months of marriage or if we simply possessed these qualities in our own rite prior to our union. 

Either way, we're a perfect match. 

Frugal

This is not a word that comes to mind when thinking of me. It is a good quality. One worth developing through discipline. The Proverbs 31 woman was wise in her ways and I'd venture to say frugal would be a good word to describe her.

Since before we were married, I had plans to clip coupons to save money on everyday items. With so many things drawing my attention away, I rarely sit down to go through the coupons we receive in the mail. On one occasion I had three higher value coupons to use on pricier items and what did I do? I forgot to pull them out of my purse when checking out. UGH!

I'm determined to do better, so I bought this at the office supply store a few days ago:

My new pretty coupon organizer

I've already started and I'm hoping for great savings in our future.