"I Will Not Abandon You!"

Yesterday I logged into iTunes to download the sermon from Brook Hills that I missed last week. I decided that listening to podcasts during work is a fantastic way to pass the time when I'm doing a lot of cutting and pasting in Excel.

Today when I came into work, I went through some old podcasts from Brook Hills that sounded interesting. They're all from before I started attending church there, so it's just kinda neat to go back and hear some of this stuff that the sermons now have been built upon.

The first one I listened to caught my eye because it's a sermon about adoption that was from Easter 2007. After listening to about 10 minutes of it, I knew that I had to share it with anyone and everyone.

I know that I've talked about my extreme passion for adoption (extreme might be a bit of an understatement) before on the blog (see part one and part two). But I thought that this sermon explained the very core truth of why I (and Jason) want to adopt someday. So...here it is:

Click here to listen/watch

Whether or not you decide to listen/watch the sermon is totally up to you (obviously)...but I wanted to share a couple of things for those of you who don't listen/watch it.

Adoption started out as something that I may resort to in the case that I am not able to have kids biologically. I have no clue if I can have biological children, but sometimes it's harder for women with insulin resistance to get pregnant, and sometimes it's impossible. So at a young age, I realized that adoption might be the way I have children.

Over the years, I've learned that adoption is kind of cool thing to do, especially among Christians. I don't want to say that it's "trendy", but it kind of is. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that adoption isn't cool or that it's not a beyond wonderful thing that adoption is "trendy" among Christians these days, it's a total miracle! But, for a little while there, my reasons for wanting to adopt became more about me than about the actual reality of adoption.

Here is the reality: adoption is not about us...it's about God. It's a perfect reflection of the relationship between the saved and the Savior.

This is how I know -

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the
law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could
adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the
Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father [which literally means "daddy"].’ Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.” - Galatians 4:4-8

When we call upon the name of Jesus, God changes our "status" and we become His child, His heir. Just as when we adopt a child, their legal status is changed and they become our child, our heir.

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.” - Ephesians 1:4-8

When we cry out to God, confess our sinfulness to Him, and our neediness for Him, we are adopted into His family! His family [the church] changes. We are added. Just as when we adopt a child, our family looks much different that it did before. It changes. A child is added.

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.” - Romans 8:15-17

“And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.” - Romans 8:23

God promises His children a full inheritance. He doesn't hold out on any one of us who has called upon His name. He affirms us and loves us in all of His glory. Our lives and our future are forever changed. When we adopt, we give that child a full inheritance. We don't hold out on them. We affirm them and love them with all that we have. Their lives and their future are forever changed.

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I am so thankful about the confidence that I have in Christ. I am thankful to know that I am a part of the family of God. I cannot wait to share even an ounce of that love with a child someday. As the graphic above says, "I am in love with a child I haven't met yet."

Watch It! : A Where I'm Going Update

So, remember how I've always battled my weight and how I identified a couple of months ago that it's a mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual battle that I've had to deal with? Well, that's still extremely true.

When I was going into ninth grade, my mom joined Weight Watchers and lost a good bit of weight. Since she's the one who bought the groceries and made dinner each night, I learned a lot about the program and I lost some weight as well. Since then, I've tried Weight Watchers a couple of times, but I always have a terrible attitude toward it for some reason.

I think that I've identified that Weight Watchers is a strict program that actually works if you do it right, which is true. I think that in the past I've always blamed the program for my weight gain/battle rather than myself and my lack of self-control.

Over the last couple of years, a couple of people in my life (including my dad) have done WW and had some pretty significant success from it. Over the last few years, I've attributed the fact that WW doesn't take sugars/carbs into consideration as my reason for not getting back on the program.

Obviously, things have evolved from 2004 and now WW does take sugars/carbs into consideration. Even though I knew this, I've still used the same excuse for the last year or so.

Last Thursday while we were at camp, we were going around telling everyone (who asked) that our wedding is "three months from tomorrow [Friday]". Then at lunch, someone who I've worked with there told me that a whole group of girls that work for the organization are doing WW together and if I ever wanted to do it and needed a support group, I could join them.

I don't know what really was the exact straw that broke the camel's back, but something did. I could just feel the door opening for me and God pushing me through it. I could feel Him telling me that this is a weapon I can use in this spiritual battle that I have been fighting for the last 15 years. And it just so happens that the sign up fee for a three month WW online subscription was waved through the weekend.

I asked Jason for this thoughts, and he obviously said he thought it was a good idea if it's something I feel like I need to do (he's the best). So, starting this past Sunday, I'm a Weight Watchers online member :)

I have to admit that it's been a tough couple of days, especially while we were traveling home 8.5 hours. Anytime I start something like this its hard, and it even becomes emotional for me because this is a mental/emotional/physical/spiritual thing. Over the past couple of days, I've doubted, I've wanted to eat my feelings (and I did until I finally stopped myself), and I've been ashamed.

I was ashamed that I'm not happy with myself three months before my wedding. As each month goes by, I want to feel more like I'm closer to looking/feeling the way I would like to look/feel on September 22nd, but so far I haven't. I'm ashamed that I'm having to start something new so close to that day; so ashamed that I almost didn't write this post today.

But I realize that I need prayer and support. This blog has served as an avenue for me to receive just that. It's also served as accountability for me over the last few months, and I'm definitely a stronger person because of all of you reading this thing.

So, as I embark on this little adventure over the next three months, I am hoping that you'll keep me in your thoughts and prayers. If you find good WW recipes, send them my way! And if you've had a WW success story (or know one), send that my way as well!

Asheville Wedding Weekend Recap

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Well, hello everyone! I am back after my little vacation/blogging hiatus.

I appreciate all of the prayers from last week for Rock the Block. We had such a wonderful time sharing Jesus with all of those little kiddos. As I mentioned last week, Jason and I taught the lesson on Wednesday. It went really well, but those kids definitely kept me on my toes. Great responses were given and good questions were asked. What else could we have asked for?

We also had a guest "speaker" that day. Jude (age 11) came to share his testimony and lead the group in worship. Jude's dad, Jim, is the owner of Steel City Pops and a friend from our church. He surprised us all and broke out an awesome stash of pops for the whole Rock the Block group!

Jim handing out popsicles.

Thursday we headed off to camp at Shocco Springs. Jason had been hired by the Alabama Baptist Children's Homes to shoot b-roll and some interviews for foster parent promo videos. I used to be an intern with their organization, and I still help out at the Children's Homes doing communications. So, I got to help out with social media and shooting some photos at camp. I always forget how much I love being a part of the Children's Homes until I'm back in the thick of everything. Jason and I also loved working together! We hope that maybe someday we'll be called to do just that...

The lake at Shocco Springs

After we left camp, we stopped for dinner at Sonny's BBQ (a.k.a. Jason's favorite place in the world) on our way to Atlanta. Jason stuck to his usual BBQ chicken, while I hit up the pretty amazing salad bar.

When we got to Atlanta, we didn't waste any time...we went straight to IKEA (a.k.a. one of my favorite places). Jason said that since we'd both worked really hard all day, we could spend up to $100! We came out with some really great ideas, a couple items, and we only spent $50!

What I would like our kitchen to look like someday.

What I would like our bed to look like...we bought the curtain and curtain rod!

After IKEA, we went to Jason's best friend from childhood's house. She and her husband live in such a cute little home in Atlanta. We had a great time visiting with her, and we're so thankful she opened up her adorable home to us.

Friday morning we hit the ground running. We were on the road by 9:00 (Atlanta time...so 8:00 to us) after a brief search for a Dunkin Donuts (COFFEE).

I drove most of the way to Asheville, NC, which actually ended up being really fun. I don't know why, but sometimes I just really really enjoy driving and then other times I hate it. I'm weird, I know...

We arrived in Asheville and went straight to Men's Wearhouse to pick up Jason's tux for the wedding. We had to hang around that area for a little while because they had the wrong size pants for Jason (try six sizes too big)...but that was okay with us. After we were done there, we drove around Asheville a little bit and snuck into a Sheraton to use their public restrooms to change for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner (hey, at least it was clean...that's all I've got to say about that). We attempted going to the Biltmore...but after seeing the $60/person price tag, we decided we'd come back when we could make a day out of it (we only had about an hour and a half).

The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner were fun and beautiful. It was great for Jason and I to see a lot of friends.

Jason and the groom.

Sarah and Cameron practicing their "I do".

Jason and I at the rehearsal dinner.

Samford groomsmen picture with the groom.

Saturday was the big day! Jason met up with the groomsmen at the mall in Asheville, which was 100% okay with me since that meant I got to shop! I found some great deals on what I'm calling "cruise clothes" (basically shorts, shirts, and dresses for our honeymoon cruise). I got Jason some "cruise clothes" too! His swim shorts ripped last time we were in Destin, so I found some on sale while I was shopping. They are the "Speedo" brand, but they're just normal board shorts. You should have seen Jason's face when he heard I bought him "Speedo" swim shorts :) I also got a pair of sandals for $3...how can you beat that? You just can't.

It was time for the wedding! I'll just sum up the whole thing with a couple of bullet points:

• Sarah looked incredibly beautiful
• Cameron is a super blessed guy
• Jason looked awesome in his tux (even if it was a little big on him)
• The food was good
• The friends were great
• I'm overly excited for The Free's! 

Being at Sarah and Cameron's wedding made me realize that my wedding is getting super close! I spent a lot of time on the phone with my mom this weekend going through decoration ideas and wedding plans. She even made all of the boutonnieres (along with a bunch of other really cool stuff)!

Red burlap boutonnieres for the guys.

Aren't they awesome?!

Monday, Jason and I went to our first pre-marital counseling session. I was really excited about beginning this phase of our engagement, and it definitely lived up its expectation. We really loved it and are so thankful for Pathway's Professional Counseling and their services in providing Christian counseling to Alabama. I can't wait to go back next week!

And with all of that said...GUESS WHAT?

Only 87 days until I'm Mrs. Morales!

Scatterbrained

Good morning friends! I just want to warn you that I'm probably going to be a little bit all over the place today. I have a couple of things I'd like to say, but none of them really have a direct focus.

So, here we go...

Eating Better

Remember a few weeks ago when I went to the doctor, got blood work done, and he put me on a diet? Well, I told you that I'd share that plan with you. I think it is time.

Here are the basics:

This is the breakout of what I am allowed to eat each day.

According to the plan that the doctor gave me, I try to disperse between my calories, carbs, fats, and proteins like this -

Breakfast

• Lots of protein (eggs of some sort, which also has some fat in it)
• Little bit of carbs (fruit, yogurt, or skim milk)

For example, this is a pretty normal breakfast for me: 1-2 boiled eggs, a glass of skim milk, and coffee with a little bit of creamer and some Stevia.Usually if I eat two boiled eggs, I forgo the milk, but I was hungry this morning.

Lunch

• Lots of protein (usually from 99% fat free turkey of some sort)
• Little bit of carbs (fruit, yogurt, cheese)
• Green vegetable (salad, green beans, celery, etc.)

Here's another example - this is my lunch for today:

Dinner

• Lots of protein (lean chicken, lower fat ground turkey, grilled fish, or a very extra lean red meat)
• Lots of veggies
• Just a few carbs (sauces, cheese, MAYBE a piece of whole wheat bread, MAYBE a tiny bit of whole wheat pasta, fruit)
• Fats (just in random foods that I'm already eating)

Here's an example of a good dinner from a couple of weeks ago (dinners have been hard for me lately):

Usually, I eat a snack either in the morning or the afternoon. It's usually another Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, or sometimes a 0% Greek Yogurt with a dash of cinnamon.

Out to Eat

Jason and I have been SUPER busy lately. Lots of traveling, lots of friends/family in town. We have been eating out a whole lot, and I honestly don't know when that will change. I've had to really discipline myself in what I order though. Jason's tendency is to find something he likes on a menu and sticks with it. My nature is to try everything on a menu at least once. I've got to hand it to him, in this scenario, he's right. It's better to stick with items that you know will be healthier choices rather than jump around and try new things just for the sake of eating something new.

Remember that if you're going out to eat, you don't have to get off  your healthy lifestyle plan. Lean steaks are good to order with a veggie on the side. Fish is a great "night out" option as well. Say no to the rolls that are brought to the table, and always opt for a vinaigrette dressing on the side and steamed/grilled veggies as your side dish.

Here's my go-to meals for "out to eat" meals:

Japanese: Forgo the rice and add double veggies
Mexican: Fajita, no tortillas
Thai: Salad; chicken with brown rice (only eat half of the rice serving)
Italian: Salad?
BBQ: Salad or veggie sampler; sandwich with sauce and bun on the side
American chain restaurant (like Chili's): Fajita, fish, grilled chicken (look for their lower calorie options, usually they're marked)
Greek: Chicken with salad (dressing on side) and veggies

Fajita from Moe's Southwest Grill

Rock the Block 

Yesterday was day #2 of Rock the Block. Jason and I were in charge of games and we had a blast. Jason was Simon and kept a pretty consistent game of Simon says going on throughout all of the games (I'm not really sure how he did that, but it happened).

We played one game called "Mummy" and I got completely wrapped in toilet paper. I got a little bit claustrophobic, but it was for the greater good, so I toughed it out.

Tonight, Jason and I are in charge of the lesson. We are teaching on Romans 3:11 and John 1:29. We would seriously appreciate all of your prayers. We hope that the kid's (and hopefully parents) lives are changed through this week of Rock the Block.

4 Day Meals

As I said yesterday, Sunday Jason and I went grocery shopping. I bought enough food for dinner for four days. Since we have Rock the Block this week, I decided that we needed some easy-to-reheat meals for Sunday-Wednesday. So far, it's worked out well.

For Sunday/Tuesday I made BBQ Chicken Biscuits and Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole was (is) on the menu for Monday/Wednesday.


Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole:
Ingredients:

• 5 cups chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
• 1 cup fat-free sour cream
• 2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup (98% fat free)
• 2 cups crushed Reduced-fat Ritz crackers (about 1 1/2 rolls of crackers)
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 T poppy seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Saute raw chicken breasts with salt and pepper until done. Let chicken cool slightly and place cubed chicken in a 9X13 casserole dish.
3. Stir together the condensed soup and sour cream. Pour over the chicken.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together the crushed crackers, poppy seeds and melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken and sauce.
5. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the casserole is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Serve plain or over rice

Camp of Champions

Tomorrow Jason and I are headed to Shocco Springs for the Alabama Baptist Children's Homes Camp of Champions. Jason will be shooting a video and I'll be helping out with some general activities as well as shooting so photos.

We are so excited about getting to do this together. Our dream is to someday built a client base to where we can do this type of thing full-time to make a living. We love the ministry that the Children's Homes has and we love being a part of orphan care to advance the Kingdom.


Weekend Wedding

On Friday, Jason and I will head to North Carolina. Jason will be a groomsmen in a friend's wedding. We are so excited to celebrate this special day with our friends Cameron and Sarah, and we are praying for them as they begin their marriage. We are also very excited to have a little mini-vacay this weekend to a place that we've never been together! I'm hoping that Jason will love it so much that we can go back next year (fingers crossed).

That being said, this could be my last rambling for the week. I'm sure that I'll have access to internet, but I'm going to just enjoy myself and I'll post about all of our upcoming weekend activities next week. I'm so excited for these FUN TIMES!

"no one understands; no one seeks for God." - Romans 3:11

"The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" - John 1:29

Productive Weekend in Review

Here's our VERY productive weekend in review:

Friday -

I just love a trip to the mall. 

Friday night we got new dishes. They look a little something like this:

Jason with our new dishes.

We also got a "something old". Jason's step mom gave us some really awesome red cups as well as some red vases. The cups are from 1967 and they're really cool looking!

We also went to eat at Stix. I went with the teriyaki  chicken with veggies and brown rice. I had enough left over to eat Saturday night as well. Definitely our new favorite Asian food joint.

Saturday - 

Although we didn't we get to sleep in, it ended up being a pretty restful day. We got up early and took Jason's family to see our wedding venue. They loved it, and it was perfect weather.

Then we went to eat at the wonderful Olexa's in Mountain Brook Village. We wanted to make sure that they got to taste our cake :)

Next, Jason got fitted for his tux/suit! Look how hot my fiance is!!!

This is what Jason will be wearing.

This is what the groomsmen/dads will be wearing.

After lunch we kind of went our separate ways. We were all tired and wanted to rest. After about an hour of just chillin' by the TV, Jason and I decided to be productive. We basically just ran errands until dinner time.

Then we rented a movie and watched it at the apartment.

Sunday -

We got up early again to go to the 9:00 service at Brook Hills. We wanted to make sure that Jason's fam got to go to church with us but they also had a long drive ahead of them. I was okay with going to church early...it meant that I got to eat "Perfect Oatmeal" from Starbucks on the way.

After church we went to eat lunch to celebrate Father's Day with Jason's dad. We went to The Fish Market, which is right by our church and only a couple of miles from our wedding venue. While we were there, we asked if they can accommodate rehearsal dinners. After lots of looking, talking, and booking, we now have our rehearsal dinner location! Just one less thing to do :)

After church, they hit the road and Jason and I hit the grocery store. It had been a while since I'd done anything even close to a full grocery run. Since we were in the area, we decided to go to Target rather than the usual Publix.

We ended up leaving with a new TV!

Jason setting up his new toy...that lives at my apartment :)

We decided to rent another movie, but we ended up just watching Netflix instead. We also made our third voyage to Steel City Pops. I went with coffee and Jason rolled with strawberry cream.

Sunday night, I made lots and lots of food. I spent probably an hour and a half cooking four meals for two...but more on that tomorrow.

Monday - 

I know Monday isn't a weekend day, but since I'm kind of running a day behind on my blog, I'll just include it.

Yesterday Jason and I both had to work, and then we helped put on Rock the Block with our small group.

Rock the Block is basically Vacation Bible School in a neighborhood or, in this case, an apartment complex. The goal is to reach more people in the community with the gospel as well as build relationships with the folks that live around you.  

We played games, did a bible lesson, and ate popsicles.

Celeste teaching about Moses (right) and the Egyptians (Pharaoh in his "robe" is on the left)

David sharing the gospel to all of these kiddos.

Prayer time. How precious?

Hope you all have a happy Tuesday. Rambling done now.

Happy 50th!

As you all know, yesterday was Father's Day. I was so excited that Jason and I got the privilege of spending this Father's Day with Jason's dad. Although we had a great time, I missed my dad a lot.

My dad turns 50 in a couple of weeks (sorry Dad, secrets out). So, in honor of his upcoming birthday and Father's Day, I'm dedicating my 50th blog post to him!

My dad is such a trooper. He has three daughters and a wife. Sometimes a family of all girls will end up having some girly-girls and some kind of sporty-girls. Not my family...we're all girly.

My parents on Thanksgiving. My dad made the carrot cake from scratch!

My dad has spent thousands of hours shopping with us. He's spend hundreds of hours at dance recitals and competitions. He also randomly comes home with chocolate (good tip for any husband/father out there, come home with chocolate). My dad is from a family of four boys and one girl. All of the boys were very athletic and they love sports! I played soccer in elementary school and then hung up my cleats for point shoes. Carlee and Julia took a brief swing at softball, but again, they traded in their bats for jazz booties, sparkly outfits, and even some voice lessons for theater.

The night Jason and I got engaged. My dad getting in on the conversation.

But, my dad and I do have a special connection - college football. Alongside all of the many hours my dad has spent doing girly things, we've also logged a good bit of time watching college football together. My sisters don't get that into it, and sometimes my mom watches with us, but college football is something my dad and I have always watched together. Just thinking about this makes me wish that football season would hurry up and get here!

A few weeks ago a man who works near me brought his daughter to work. It was so cute to see them interact for an hour or two before the work day ended. I texted my dad and told him about it, and how I remember going to work with him as a child. I am so thankful for all of the memories that we have shared, and will share in the future.

To sum it all up, my dad is a blessing. He has shown me such an wonderful example of what it looks like to be a serving husband who reveres the Lord and loves well. He's shown me what it means to be a gentle dad who can lead a family through humble leadership. He's shown me what it means to be a servant and a provider for a family. He's shown me what it looks like to sacrifice for your children, to go cling to the gospel of Jesus Christ, to always pray first, and to live a life that consistently demonstrates God's love to everyone (even when it's hard).

One of the ways I knew Jason was the guy for me is I thought about what our lives could look like down the road and what our (very) future children might say about him. I could imagine them saying things that are similar to what I say about my dad. They say that many times girls marry men who have similar qualities of their dad, and I sure do see so many reflections of my dad's character in Jason. I am blessed that both of the men who will lead me share the qualities that make them each indescribably wonderful.

I really wanted to put a picture of my dad and I when I bought my dress, but Jason reads my blog...Hey Jason!

As excited as I am about the wedding in September, I think that I am more excited that I get to start a life with a man who is a servant, a provider, self-sacrificing, gospel centered, always praying, and loving. When my dad gives me a way, I'm confident that he'll have no doubt that he's giving me away to a man very much like himself.

Anyway, Happy Father's Day, Dad (sorry this is a day late)!

My dad and I when I graduated for Samford. That was such an exciting day!

...and Roll Tide :)

Takin' Care of Business

WHOOHOO! We are in the double digits, people! After weeks and months of 100's of days until our wedding alerts, this makes it feel like it's actually within my reach! Using a race analogy, we're not quite to the sprinting point, but we're definitely picking up the pace because the finish line (or in this case, the beginning line) is in sight!

As excited as I am about this, I have to admit that it makes me a weeeeee bit anxious (I refuse to be stressed). While we have all of the big stuff booked, there are a lot of little details that we (I) still have to get in order before the big day. Looks like I'll be creating a to-do list like no other.

But it looks like this milestone day has come just in the nick of time. Last weekend, my family was in town for my sister's orientation and my parents were able to get a lot of wedding stuff done. They were able to confirm the order, drop off supplies, and talk to Olexa's about our cake. They were also able to figure out the bridesmaids brunch and our bouquets. This weekend, some of Jason's family is in town so we're figuring out the rehearsal dinner, figuring out the tux/suit situation, and shopping. Today, I ordered my dress for the rehearsal dinner.

So, as you can see, things are coming a long nicely! I guess I really don't have any reason to be stressed...or uh...anxious, right? We're takin' care of biznuss!

As fun as all this wedding planning is, I'm ready to experience a wedding other than my own. Next weekend Jason and I will be headed to beautiful North Carolina to see two of our friends get married. I am beyond excited for them and overly ecstatic for our little mini vacay!

Before I end today's post, let me take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for all of the fathers out there. Father's Day is a very special day. Not only do I have a wonderful dad, but I am also very blessed to be able to spend this Father's Day with my future father-in-law. Jason and I are so very blessed to have two amazing men in our lives who are there to guide us spiritually, physically, financially, and prayerfully through this new phase of life. My dad has never had a son before and Jason's dad has never had a daughter...I think we're both equally excited to officially become part of each others families in September!

Well, I better quit rambling and get to working on my to-do list! Have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy the sunshine & Happy Father's Day :)

“The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.” - Proverbs 23:24

Veggies for the Picky Man's Soul

In the midst of being out of town, having family in town, and just living life, I haven't had a chance to get to the store this week. I was kind of tired of eating every meal out, so I decided to throw together some veggie lasagna.

I found a recipe for this a while back from the Martha Stewart website and had put it aside for a rainy day. Last night ended up being just that...a rainy day with veggie lasagna for dinner.

I love veggies. Usually, the more the merrier. But unfortunately, my fantastic fiance doesn't love veggies like he loves me...or even really like them.

Therefore I adapted this recipe to make everyone happy. I made two thirds of the lasagna with spinach and a third without. If you have a picky eater in your house...this might just do the trick!

Half-Veggie Lasagna (yields 8):
Ingredients

• 4 c. (32 ounces) part skim-milk ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
• 6 c. store-bought or homemade tomato sauce
• 12 no-boil whole wheat lasagna noodles (8 ounces)
• 1 lb. mozzarella cheese (4 cups), shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour about 1/3 of the mixture into a separate bowl. Add spinach (to the larger portion), and stir well to combine.
2. Spread a small bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish or dishes. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the remaining sauce; sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese (make sure to pick which side you're going to have be the non-veggie side; pick a side and stick with it). Repeat to make two more layers, ending with cheese.
3. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.

I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture...but it should look a little something like this:

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Keep in mind that you can also split the recipe in halves instead of thirds. We had some guests eating with us last night, so I wanted to make more with spinach and less for Jason.

I'll keep the rambling to a minimum for today.

Happy Tuesday!

One for the Books

This weekend was definitely "one for the books"!

Friday night started off with a little tour downtown with some friends from one (one of my bridesmaids and one of my flower girls to be exact).

Reese (age 8), was taken with my scarf collection and the Vulcan, but not so much with Reese St. or her lemon popsicle.

We ate a wonderful Greek dinner at Taziki's, complete with three Friday Specials and one grilled cheese :) I love having a kid around. Even things like what they order for dinner cracks me up. 

We'd told her about the new place in Homewood, Steel City Pops. Jason and I had not had a chance to try it yet, and we've heard wonderful things about it, so we took Chastity and Reese after dinner (well, first we made a quick pit stop at the Vulcan because Reese was very interested in the statue man).

Unfortunately, since Jason and I had never been there before we didn't really know how to advise Reese on what to get. She doesn't like pieces of fruit in things, so her choice of a lemon popsicle kinda threw her off. But we all had fun anyway! Jason enjoyed his Blood Orange pop, Chastity rolled with coconut, and I ventured out to strawberry  balsamic. All three of us loved ours!

We even got her picture on Reese Street (although I don't think she really wanted to get out of the car in the middle of the road to take a picture...oh well)!

Saturday morning the girlies and I woke up and started cleaning and organizing everything for my shower. My family came in town around lunchtime and sent me away while they decorated and got the food ready. Reese and I went to get manicures.

Reese with her purple glitter nails after her first manicure!

When I got back the apartment was all decorated and it was breathtaking! Carlee, Julia, Chastity, and my mom had put in so much hard work! I loved it so much!

The shower was definitely a success! I loved every minute of it and it was so wonderful to see some friends who I haven't seen in a while!

We ended the night at the mall. I really don't spend a lot of time just "hanging out" at the mall like I did back in the day :) Chastity and I did the photo booth with Reese. Julia, Shara, and Reese rode the carousel. We grabbed some dinner, and ended the evening with a little window shopping.

Reese and Shara on the carousel.

Sunday we got out the door just in time. Jason, Julia, and I had planned on doing our engagement photo shoot Sunday morning. Julia is an extremely talented photographer, and we just knew she was the girl for this job!

I'd say that the morning was a success! We had a little rain, but honestly I think it made the pictures even better!

We spent the rest of the day hanging out with my family and went to the evening service at church with Julia and Shara :)

Amazingly enough, this weekend was so great that I don't even need to keep on rambling! It was one for the books and we've got the pictures to prove it.

Prayer Focus of the Day: Pray for high school and college graduates as they are in a time of transition. Graduation is over, everyone is moved, and now is the time that all of the life changes really start to sink in. My sister Carlee is going through orientation at Samford today and tomorrow. I know that it's an extremely exciting time for her (as well as all of the other incoming freshies), but it can also be scary and unknown. Pray for peace, wisdom, courage, and strength for those you know who are experiencing this transition right now.