Three? Really?

I don't even know where these past two weeks have gone. Life is flying by at an unbelievably fast pace and I'm just trying to catch up. My bedroom, bathroom, and craft room are feeling the neglect and are desperately in need of cleaning.

Hubby and I had a good time in Italy. The weather was ho hum and the first few days we had limited transportation while at the monastery for the wedding, but made the most of it. We even got to sleep in bunk beds...hubby on top and me on bottom for the first three days. Oh, and hubby got to take a shower while the bride's great aunt used the toilet directly across from him and tried to carry on a conversation...interesting times! The last day in Italy we rented a smart car (I was the driver seeing how hubby forgot his license) and drove to the town of Bellaggio along Lake Como. It was GORGEOUS! Hubby read about this garden in the travel guide so we visited there and got some great ideas for our backyard. I'll post photos in their own post.

In addition to that suitcase that is still needing to be unpacked, I also have a suitcase to unpack from the road trip hubby and I took last weekend to install patches on cow's butts. All part of life here on the farm! We drove to Indiana for our first stop and then back tracked, stopping in Ohio at another farm on the way home. While hubby was installing the systems and patches, I sat in the car and looked through 15 magazines, tearing out the items I want to keep and recycling the rest. It was great just to spend time with my hubby and getting to stop at our favorite burger joint on the way home.

Oh, and let's not forget the original suitcase that is still needing to be unpacked from Easter weekend when we made a trip out to do some more demo on our kitchen and visit my grandma and cousin to deliver her wedding invitations. Thankfully the bride was very pleased with them! Pictures of both will follow in their own post.

Besides these three trips and suitcases waiting to be unpacked, I've been busy working on items for my store's "grand opening." I know I announced here that I'm shooting for the 30th, but that's two days from now and some of the items I need before I can open have yet to make an appearance, so I'm going to have to delay that for a little bit. But, SOON, it's coming!!

Hubby is gone again today and tomorrow at a farm in Idaho installing yet another system. I figured while he's gone it'd be a good time to clean our bedroom, bathroom and my craft room, not to mention unpacking the three suitcases.

After all, I'm going to need to pack one of them again in a week to head back out to visit my cousin again to practice her hairstyle for the big day in June!

Pesto & Gelato Are Calling My Name

I said I was going to go two weeks without eating sweets so I could enjoy all the gelato and pesto Italy has to offer, and I'm proud to report I made it a week and a half before succumbing to an ice cream sundae at my grandma's house on Good Friday, one of hubby's grandma's homemade Eclairs on Easter and a lemon poppy seed cake I made for a birthday at work yesterday. Not too bad compared to the amount of sweets I used to consume.

Tomorrow hubby and I are off to Italy for my friend's wedding. We are so excited! We'll be spending a few days near La Spezia and Cinque Terre for the wedding and then a day and a half in the Milan and Lake Como areas before heading back home. I already informed hubby we'll have to return someday because I really want to see Rome, Florence, and Venice. But for now, I'll take any part of Italy I can get and I'm so excited to see my dear friend, "Josh", who I haven't seen in over 7 years or so.

I'll be back to post here sometime the week of the 20th with photos of our trip and more demo work we did on the kitchen over Easter weekend.

Getting closer

I'm so excited to post this today because it means that I'm one step closer to opening my shop! I've finally finished the wedding invitations I was working on and will be delivering those to my "client" this weekend (at the end of the 9 hour roadtrip hubby and I embark on tonight at 7pm) and now I can devote all my time to making jewelry and note cards and home decor items. I'm so excited!

I've received great reviews so far on the items I have done and need to complete a few more projects to make sure my shop is well stocked. Once I finish that and designing my website, the doors will be open. I'm shooting for April 30th as my "Grand Opening".

For now, here is my button that will be used on my packaging, business card, and advertisements.

Worth the drive??

Hubby was supposed to leave last Wednesday to go finish demo on the kitchen so we can get a good jump when we are there this summer. Just before we got ready to leave, the airline called to tell him that his flight had been cancelled and they'd have to rebook him. He chose to leave Saturday late afternoon instead.

Saturday morning hubby tries to check-in online and print his boarding pass, but the computer kept saying it couldn't assign a seat number. Finally we track down a number for the airline and call them only to have them say their computers are down and they wouldn't be able to tell him if he as a seat until he checks in at the airport. So, we start out on our way for the journey to LaGuardia in NYC. Of course we hit traffic for both the Yankees and Mets last pre-season home games and finally get to the airport. I wait the five minutes to see if he gets a seat and once I get the call that all is good, I pull away from the curb and start the drive back home through Manhattan (it's the cheapest route so I'll fight the traffic).

No sooner do I enter the Midtown Tunnel when hubby calls to say that the flight has been oversold and that they're offering a free roundtrip ticket to anyone who's willing to give up their seat. He says he really needs to go in order to get the new water meter installed, but that if nobody else offers he will. So, as I'm exiting the tunnel, he calls to say that they sweetened the pot and offered two roundtrip tickets to anywhere they fly and he jumped at the opportunity. So, looks like we'll be making a trip to the Caymen Islands or some other warm place next winter! And, he only paid $40 bucks for his original ticket!

Yeah, it took two hours to get to the airport and another four to get home thanks to having to turn around and head back to the airport and then back through Manhattan only to have the police constantly close entrances to the Lincoln Tunnel just as we got within 3 car lengths, but I think it was well worth it for the two free tickets and four extra days with my hubby before he leaves!

Plus, we needed some cheering up after we lost a suit against one of hubby's company's on Friday to the tune of $14,000. More to come on that later.

Holy Week

Last year I posted this too late for anybody to really be able to participate, including myself, but this time I'm only a day and a half late!

Hope you all had a wonderful Palm Sunday yesterday. The weather here was lovely and we had such an awesome church service. Last night I watched the Discovery Channel's 3 hour special on "Who Was Jesus?". It was sad that they had a Baptist minister and two other Biblical scholars, yet not one of them seemed to be a true believer. They basically just presented Jesus as a historical man instead of God himself. And, they gave about 2 minutes out of the the three hours to his resurrection.

I'm anxious to read through these Scripture passages this week as we remember the last week of our Savior's life on earth.

**NOTE: The below was originally from an insert in the bulletin of my parents' church.

The final week of Christ's life leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection has been known as "Holy Week" throughout the liturgical history of the church. This week provides a powerful opportunity for each of us to retrace Christ's steps that week...and journey with Him...and reflect on who He is and what He did...and worship.

Sunday: THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY
Mark 11:1-9 (Matthew 21:1-9, Luke 19:28-44, John 12:12-19)

Monday: JESUS CLEANSES THE TEMPLE
Mark 11:12-19 (Matthew 21:12-17, Luke 19:45-48)

Tuesday: CHRIST'S TEACHING
Mark 11:20-13:37

Wednesday: JESUS IS ANOINTED AT BETHANY
Mark 14:1-11 (Matthew 26:6-16)

Thursday: THE UPPER ROOM SUPPER, BETRAYAL AND ARREST
Mark 14:12-72 (Matthew 27:1-61, Luke 22:66-23:56, John 18:28-42)

Friday: THE CRUCIFIXION
Mark 15:1-47 (Matthew 27:1-61, Luke 22:66-23:56, John 18:28-42)

Saturday: SECURING THE TOMB
Matthew 27:62-66 (Hebrews 10:11-25, I Corinthians 15:1-4, Romans 5:8-11)

Sunday: THE RESURRECTION!
Mark 16:1-11 (Matthew 28:1-8, Luke 24:1-10, John 20:1-31)

It's only 2 weeks, right?

I've had a little bit of a blogger block in case you haven't noticed.

Not much to report on here besides the fact that I'm still covered in blue glitter (I think my in-laws' living room will have a nice blue sparkle to it for awhile too), we got a new dishwasher (woohoo clean dishes again finally!), and my pants are starting to get a little tight. Guess that's what happens when one eats a lot of sweets and hasn't taken the time to workout in about two months.

So, realizing that hubby and I leave for ITALY two weeks from yesterday, and knowing that I'm definitely going to want to indulge in some gelato and pasta while there, I decided that between now and April 14th I'm going to forgo the cookies, brownies, ice cream, candy, cakes, etc. that have made their way into my diet over the past couple months. This is going to be HARD for a sugar addict like me! But, hopefully ya'll will help keep me accountable and two weeks from now as I'm on a plane to Italy, my scale will be back down to where it should be, my pants won't be fitting a little snug, and my tastebuds will be ready for some of the best gelato known to mankind!

Lord, please give me a LOT of willpower!

More Cook Islands Dancer Videos

Here are the rest of the videos I took. They bring back good memories and man can they shake their hips!

Cook Islands Fire Dancer

I finally got a chance to join Vimeo and convert my movie files to a format that blogger would allow. Here is the craziest fire dancer I've ever seen - not that I've seen many fire dancers!

P.S. I know it may sound in the video like I'm saying "Oh my God" but I don't take my Savior's name in vain.

My New Favorite Kiss

I was sitting here at my desk craving some candy and debating with myself if it's really worth the money in the vending machine. Deciding it wasn't and forcing myself to make the healthier choice, I retrieved my apple from my bag and proceeded to the cafeteria to wash it.

And lo and behold what should be sitting out on the table for everyone to help themselves to? These little delights:

I admit it. I took 4. But, I didn't allow myself to eat them until AFTER I ate my apple.

Thank goodness St. Patty's Day has already gone otherwise I may spend all my spare change on buying up bags of these things from the store.

Why One Should Be Careful When Using a Flat Iron

I was in a rush this past Saturday to get out the door and on my way to DC.

I managed to oversleep my alarm clock by one whole hour and then in my mad dash to flat iron my hair, put on some makeup, pack an overnight bag and get out the door, my mind somehow shut off.

As a result, I now have these:

Thankfully the one on my ring finger has already gone down, but the one on my middle finger is going to be here for a few more days probably. Worst burn I ever had at the hand of a flat iron. It was so bad that I knew the instant I peeled my fingers off the hot ceramic plate they were blistering regardless of how much ice or cold water I subjected them to.

Oh well, thankfully the rest of the weekend ended up much better than it started.

Going on a Misson

This weekend I get to play a mix of Jack Bauer and James Bond.

Hubby and I are heading down to Washington, DC (hopefully it won't be completely filled with Obama-mania) to visit our dear friend Katie and hubby's cousin and his wife.

I'm excited because we're going to the International Spy Museum. Hubby and I have been wanting to go here for quite some time now...me because I love museums and hubby because he thinks it'd be so cool to be in the CIA or work as a counterterrorism agent. The museum has this experience where you actually get to play the part of a federal agent who's trying to stop an international terrorist activity and work to solve the case. It should be a lot of fun.

Besides that, my weekend will be filled with glittering invitations, getting a haircut, cleaning and laundry. I don't think Jack Bauer or James Bond have to do their own cleaning or laundry...hmmm.

Movie Weekend

This past weekend hubby and I used up a gift card someone gave us for Christmas. First off, I didn't know anybody actually used Blockbuster anymore and after renting four movies, I know why we don't!

Four movies at Blockbuster cost $21. We watched all four movies in two days (even though we have them for a whole week). Had I gone to a Redbox like I normally do when movie night is calling I would have only paid $8 to rent the four movies for two nights (or better yet, rent two one night and pay $2 and then rent 2 the next night when you return the original 2 and pay $2 for a total of $4). Hmm...$21 or $8? You do the math.

Anyway...thank goodness we had a gift card so I didn't feel bad about dropping that much on movie night.

We rented:

We loved An American Carol (finally a second side to Hollywood...to bad it didn't do too hot in theaters) and What Happens in Vegas (good for some laughs). Swing Vote wasn't bad (not as funny as I thought it'd be) and Hancock was pretty food for an action movie too.

How about you? Have you seen any good movies lately?

It's like Easter grass

Remember when you were a kid and you had that plastic Easter grass in your baskets? Remember how that stuff got everywhere and you'd still be picking up little pieces of it months after Easter was over?

I think I'm going to be doing the same thing with teal glitter.

Last night I started the tedious (yet enjoyable) process of glittering 200 invites for my cousin's wedding. The fine little sparkles were E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E! All over my black coat, my black pants, my craft room white carpet, my face, my fingers. Whatever it was, I guarantee you it had some sort of blue sparkle on it. Very pretty, but also a little too childish when wearing your black dress pants out in public.

If only it had been green for St. Patrick's Day today.

Blinded While Driving

Today, for the second time in my life, I had something really strange happen to me while driving - and no I'm not talking about the lady who honked at me to get me to roll down my window to tell me my left rear light is out. Thank you very much, ma'am. A cop told me the same thing about two weeks ago, but every time I check my rear lights, they're all working just fine. Go figure.

No, the strange thing was that all of a sudden I went almost completely blind due to my eyes watering uncontrollably and being incredibly itchy. Not to convenient while one is driving 50+ mph. It was way worse than when the opthamologist dialates your eyes and then sends you to drive home wearing the goofy pair of paper glasses. The first time it happened about two years ago, I had to pull over and wait about 5 minutes until the watering subsided. Thankfully today I was able to pull to the slow lane and drive while blinking like a maniac for a couple minutes, and then just as quickly as it came on, it was gone.

Strange. I know. Hopefully it doesn't happen again (well, at least for another two years).

Spring is on its way!

Spring is finally on its way here in the northeast. Yesterday was a beautiful 60 degrees and I arrived home to purple crocuses blooming along the front walk. Today, its back down to 43, but at least I know spring is trying to make an appearance. Yeah!!!

Introducing Caleb Scott Eggar!

I finally got to see some photos of our new nephew. Needless to say, big brother does not look too happy about having to share the attention!

My sister & her family. Caleb can't take his eyes off his big brother, while Braden doesn't know quite what to make of him.

My beautiful mom with her grandsons. Braden is not happy at all that he has to share Grandma's lap! Granted, it was 10pm or so by this time, too.

"Do we have to keep him?"

Thankfully the latest report is that Braden is warming up to his new little buddy, but the poor kid (Braden) had a fever of 103 the other day and is now all covered in the red spots associated with roseola!

So glad you're finally here, Caleb! Can't wait to meet you in June!!

Randomness

WARNING: Random post ahead!

We'll this last week has been a week of catch up. I'm ashamed to admit that I still haven't unpacked or done the laundry after returning home from our Cook Islands trip. It's almost as if I'm avoiding it because as soon as the suitcases are unpacked and put away, the trip of a lifetime is behind us. Very sad. Thankfully, we got some amazing photos and I'm hoping to post some of them shortly...maybe even by tomorrow...with a little post about all the fun things we did there. And, tonight I'm biting the bullet and unpacking while hubby is at his meeting.

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We received some very exciting news this past weekend - our second nephew was born on February 28th around 9:30pm! He was due on the 21st, but was too cozy in my sister's belly I guess. They had scheduled an induction for March 5th which my sister was really bummed about because she wanted a February baby, so thankfully Caleb Scott (my dad's middle name) decided to make his appearance on his own in February. Although, technically in my part of the country he was a March 1st baby! I'm still waiting to see photos of the little guy, but I've been told he looks exactly like his big brother, Braden, only with thick brown hair. I won't get to see him in person until our cousin's wedding in June, so hopefully some pictures will be sent my way soon...HINT! HINT!

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Yesterday we had our biggest snowfall of the year. Silly me passed up on the opportunity to take a day off and made the drive in to work. Being from Colorado, I always laugh at the way people drive on snow. My typical 30 minute commute turned in to an hour only to arrive at work and realize 2/3rds of the office took the day off. Oh well, it earned me some brownie points with the boss which I'll need seeing how...

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Hubby and I are going to ITALY in April for a friend's wedding! I'm so excited because I got back in touch (via Facebook) with one of my college roomies from freshman year (we also went to youth group in Colorado together in high school) and she invited us to her wedding in Italy (where she's been living/working/met this American soilder stud of hers). I'm really looking forward to going because I've always wanted to go to Italy and because I'm eager to see "Josh" again! Plus, the trip is practically paid for already because we had about half of what we saved for "spending" money from the Cook Islands left over (thank you New Zealand dollar for having such a favorable exchange rate!) and between that and the steal of a deal on airfare tickets we got, we shouldn't have to put anything on credit! Such a blessing from God!! We leave on April 15th from NYC, change planes in Madrid and arrive in Milan on the 16th. There's a couple days of partying before the wedding on the 18th in LaSpezia and then on the 19th we take the train back to Milan where we'll sightsee until we hop a plane home on the 21st with a 6 hour layover in Amsterdam (hopefully we'll be able to go see something in the country of my ancestors) before returning to NYC that afternoon. I'm so stinkin' excited!!

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The deadline I gave hubby for telling his parents about our house is looming. We also have to spill the beans about Italy so those should be a few unpleasant days. Hopefully everything will go well with all that. We're eager to get back to working on the house and we're hoping to head out there again come May when the weather is warmer. Our plans of finishing up the kitchen may take longer than originally thought because we just recently paid of two credit cards and I told hubby we're not allowed to put the kitchen on credit. So, we'll do whatever little projects we can as the cash comes in.

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I'm super excited because I have two new ventures I'm working on lately. The first is a "business" I'm doing with my aunt and uncle who are missionaries in Tanzania, Africa. It's going to be a way for them to raise some extra money for their orphan ministry and just to get their story out. We'll be selling handicrafts that my aunt purchases from natives in their area and the bulk of the money will go directly back into orphan ministry with a small part of the proceeds going towards the business maintenance side of things. I'm working on getting the website up and running and getting all the product she sent back with my cousin from Michigan to me so once those things are finished, I'll post the web address in case any of you are interested.

The other venture I'm working on is a long time dream of mine starting to become a reality. I'm opening up my own business! It's called Divine Creations and is an online store where I'll sell the jewelry, invitations, cards, other crafts, and graphic design that I do. Hopefully little by little I'll get some business and eventually it will be enough to make it so I can stay home when the kids come. I'm terrible at coming up with names for things, but feel lead to use this one. Not that I think the things I make are "divine" necessarily, but because whenever someone asks me where I come up with my ideas I have to respond that "they just come to me" which to me means that God placed them in my head. I was originally going to use Divine Inspirations (since they were God inspired), but that didn't really define a craft business, and thus the title of Divine Creations came about. I should be finished with my website in a few days, but then I have to replensish my stock of things to sell, so hopefully I'll be able to post the web address by the end of this month and start getting my name out there.

If you think of it, please pray that God would bless both of these ventures and use them to expand His territory. It's a big step for me to announce this because being a perfectionist, I'm very afraid of failure. But, it doesn't hurt (or cost anything really) to try!

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For those of you who may remember the story about my dad getting mugged at gun point in the backyard of our house in Detroit, I have an update. He had to go to trial again as a witness while hubby and I were away and the judge ended up sentencing the kid to 8 years in prison. Praise the Lord that he'll at least be off the streets for a little bit, but at the same time, pray for his salvation.

And while we're on the subject of my dad, if you remember it, please keep him in your prayers because he's in South Africa right now for work and on his flight back home he has to change plans in Sengala. For those of you who watch 24 you know all about the type of violence that's in Sengala (no that's not all fiction on the show!), so please pray for his safety and the safety of their two donors who are on the trip with him.

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Whew! What a random post! Stay tuned for an update from our Cook Islands trip and for pictures of our new nephew (if I ever get them, Mom & Chels!).

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

Today we celebrated two birthdays at work so I made a cake that was a little extra special. I'm loving how I went with Bundt cakes this year because it gives me more time to be creative in the decorating department. Although, I'm still cheating and using boxed cake mix and frosting just for conviencence sake.

Ingredients:

1 box strawberry cake mix (and items to bake cake according to box)

1 can cream cheese frosting

red food coloring

strawberries

semi-sweet chocolate chips

Bake cake according to box directions. Allow to cool. Heat 2/3 can of cream cheese frosting in microwave until it will easily pour to cover the cake. Pour all but about 1/4 cup over cake. To 1/4 cup of frosting, add red food coloring until it's the desired color. Stir and drizzle on top of other frosting. Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl on high 1 minute. Remove and stir and heat again at 15 second intervals if necessary. Dip strawberries in chocolate. Allow to cool. Once strawberries are cool, place them in the middle and around the sides of your cake. Enjoy!

This was a big hit with all the guys at work today and would be a perfect cake for Valentine's Day too (I had it in my head since then, but was a little hard to make in the Cook Islands!).

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Hubby & I returned home late last night. It'll take me a few days to recoup from the jet lag and catch up on the mounds of work I have waiting for me on my desk. And, I no doubt have a ton of blog posts by ya'll to catch up on too.

Please be patient with me as I get back into the swing of things. I'll try to post photos from our trip soon.

Did anyone make any of the recipes I had post while I was away? If so, please tell me what you thought of them.

Homemade Guacamole & Smoked Salmon Appetizer

Every time I make my guacamole it's slightly different. Here's what I normally try to do:

GUACAMOLE

2-3 gloves crushed garlic (through a garlic press)

1/2 small red onion, chopped

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

3 haas avocados, cubed

juice of 1 lime

salt, to taste

Mix all the above ingredients together in a bowl, mashing the avocados, until it reaches your desired consistency. Serve with chips.

NOTE: Guacamole is normally not lime green like above photo shows. Again, the camera. Hopefully it takes decent pictures for us in the Cooks! Guess we'll find out when I go to download them in a few days.

I also like these little appetizer bites:

SMOKED SALMON WITH CHEESE & CRACKERS

Smoked nova salmon

cream cheese

Ritz crackers

fresh dill

Spread cream cheese on cracker. Place thin slice of smoked salmon on top of cheese. Top with a bit of fresh dill.

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Filling & Chocolate Ganache

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH PEANUT BUTTER FILLING & CHOCOLATE GANACHE
Serves 12

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
¾ c. unsweetened cocoa
2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
1 c. hot coffee
1 c. milk
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla

Peanut Butter Filling:
4 T. unsalted butter, softened
½ c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. powder sugar, sifted
1-4 T. milk

Chocolate Ganache:
10 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup half-and-half
1 T corn syrup (give it the sheen)

For cake: Sift together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add oil, coffee and milk; mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat 2 more minutes (batter will be thin). Pour into two greased and floured 9” round cake pans. Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes. Cool cakes 15 minutes before removing from pan. For filling: In medium bowl, with mixer on medium, beat butter and peanut butter until well blended. Add sugar and beat until combined. Gradually add milk and beat until filling reaches desired consistency (may need slightly more or slightly less milk depending on your preference). For ganache: Place chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl. Add half-and-half and microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir until chocolate chips are melted. Stir in corn syrup for sheen.

To assemble: Place one cooled cake on serving platter. Spread filling on top of layer. Place other layer on top of filling. Pour chocolate ganache on top of cake and let drizzle over sides.

Store leftover cake in refrigerator.

NOTE: Pardon the photo. I'm not happy with the way my flash is washing everything out lately. And, I didn't have time to let this cake cool completely before assembling it so it's a little sloppy. But, we all thought it was very delicious!

White Pizza with Mushrooms

Every weekend hubby and I make pizza together. We cheat and buy the pizza dough from my favorite grocery store. Sorry, but $2.19 is well worth it to me to save the time of kneading and letting dough rise. The package says it only makes one pie, but hubby cuts it in half and then tosses them in the air until we get two beautiful crusts...one for a medium size pie and another for a large.

Some weeks we do red sauce, others it's white. There really is no special recipe, but there are two very necessary ingredients/pieces of equipment. The first is a pizza STONE (not pizza pan) and the second is PAMPERED CHEF Italian Seasoning mix (no other Italian seasoning mixes come close to tasting as good).

This week we made:

WHITE PIZZA WITH MUSHROOMS

1 large pizza dough ball at room temperature

1 T. Pampered Chef Italian Seasoning

3 T. olive oil (eyeball it)

1-2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms

Ricotta cheese

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place pizza stones in oven while you split dough into two crusts and stretch them to the size needed. Remove warm stones from oven. Place dough on stones. Pierce dough with fork all over. Return dough to oven and bake for about 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye that it doesn't burn. Remove crusts from oven. Spread crusts with a thin layer of ricotta cheese. Mix olive oil & Italian seasoning and drizzle over ricotta. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top (I usually buy a big block at Sam's and split it into 5 squares). Put mushrooms on top of cheese. Return pies to oven and bake until cheese turns bubbly and starts to brown, about 10 minutes.

No matter who we have over for pizza night, our pies always get rave reviews.

Pistachio Cake

My mother-in-law made this cake. I don't have her recipe with me, but here is a very similar one that my mom uses.

PISTACHIO CAKE
12-15 Servings

1 pkg. (18-1/4 oz.) white cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) instant pistachio pudding mix
1 c. lemon-lime soda
1 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 c. chopped walnuts

In bowl combine the first five ingredients. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes; stir in walnuts. Pour into a greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Happy Valentine's Day

Any special plans for today? I don't know what we'll be doing seeing how I'm writing this a little more than a week before the 14th, but I hope it involves something like a candlelight dinner, stroll on the beach, and a professional massage.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ham & Cheese Brunch Squares

HAM & CHEESE BRUNCH SQUARES

2 cups Colby & Monterey Jack cheese blend, shredded, divided
1 pkg (22.5 oz) frozen toaster hash brown patties, thawed (10 patties)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
12 eggs
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
8 oz thickly sliced deli ham
4-5 green onions with tops, divided (about 1 cup sliced)
3 plum tomatoes
Additional coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly brush large jelly roll pan with vegetable oil. Crumble hash browns over pan; press gently into an even layer. Sprinkle half of the cheese evenly over hash browns. Bake 13-15 minutes or until crust starts to brown and cheese is melted.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add eggs and black pepper; whisk until smooth. Coarsely chop ham. Slice green onions, reserving 1/4 cup of the tops for garnish. Place ham and remaining green onions into 8-in. sauté pan; cook and stir over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until hot. Stir ham mixture into egg mixture.

Remove pan from oven. Pour egg mixture over crust. Return pan to oven; bake 6-8 minutes or until center is set. Meanwhile, slice tomatoes in half lengthwise; scrape out seeds and dice.

Remove pan from oven; top with remaining cheese, tomatoes and reserved green onions. Sprinkle with additional black pepper, if desired. Cut into squares and serve.

Yield: 12 servings (generous sized)

NOTE: This is a Pampered Chef recipe. If you have the large stoneware bar pan, it's perfect for making this dish. Also, the first time I made it I used the hashbrown patties that look like the kind you get at McDonald's this is what the recipe calls for. This time I couldn't find those so I used shredded hashbrowns and it didn't work as well. Tater tots might work in a pinch.

Blueberry French Toast Casserole

My husband has been wanting this dish ever since the first time Jen made it for him when he was visiting his cousin (her husband) a few years ago. The recipe is originally made with strawberries and strawberry jam, but we used blueberries because those were Gram's favorite and it was for her birthday after all! I'm sure any berry/jam mixture would work. Although, my husband did say he prefers the strawberry version after having tasted both.

MAKE-AHEAD FRENCH TOAST WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE
(from May 2002 issue of Southern Living)

1 (16 ounce) challah bread loaf, cubed*
1 (8 ounce) pkg. cream cheese, cut into pieces
6 large eggs
4 cups half and half
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 (10 ounce) jar blueberry preserves

Arrange half of challah bread in a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Sprinkle with cheese pieces, and top with remaining bread. Whisk together eggs and next 3 ingredients; pour over bread mixture, pressing bread cubes to absorb egg mixture.

Cover and chill 8 hours.

Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 more minutes.

Heat blueberries and blueberry preserves in a saucepan over low heat, and serve over toast.

Prep: 25 min., chill: 8 hrs., Bake 45 min.

*French bread may be substituted (but it's not nearly as good!)

To lighten: Substitute 1 (8 ounce) pkg. Neufchatel cheese for cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups egg substitute for eggs, and 4 cups fat-free milk for half and half.

Tune in tomorrow

Just a reminder to watch Martha Stewart tomorrow if you want to see a giant crane land on top of a lady's head! Or to catch my mom and me in the studio audience. Check your local listings for the time.

First person to leave the correct answer telling me what either my mom or I was wearing will win a PRIZE upon my return.

The Best Brownies EVER!

Thank you to the mom of one of my best friends growing up for this recipe. They were a big hit with everyone and just as yummy as I remember! Next time I'm going to try making them without the chocolate chips and swirling in cream cheese instead. The only comment my hubby had besides delicious was a little less powdered sugar on top next time. Hope you all enjoy them as much as I do!

THE BEST BROWNIES EVER

(that's the name I've given them)

DO NOT USE BEATERS. STIR THIS WITH ONLY A FORK OR SPOON.

3/4 cup baking cocoa

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 stick butter, melted (salted or unsalted)

1/2 cup boiling water (I just microwaved it for about a minute)

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

2 heaping cups of chocolate semisweet chips

In a large bowl, combine the cocoa and baking soda, blend in 1/2 of the melted butter. Add boiling water, stir until well blended. Stir in sugar, eggs and remaining butter. Add flour, vanilla and salt. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 13-in.x 9-in x 2-in baking pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of pan.Cool then sprinkle powder sugar on top.

And then my favorite part: Eat until your heart's content or your belly hurts...whatever comes first!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Today hubby and I are jetting off to our honeymoon. What? You didn't take your honeymoon a year and a half after you were married?

We're heading as far as Los Angeles today (6 hour flight time total) with a layover in Denver. We're staying in Redondo Beach for the night and giving hubby his first taste of California (for some reason I always hear that word in my head the way the "Governator" says it on the commercial) before we hop on our plane to the Cook Islands tomorrow night at some ridiculously late hour for a 10 hour plane ride to Rarotonga.

The first 9 days or so we're staying in our own little house right on the beach in Rarotonga where we'll enjoy some hiking, snorkling, boating, biking, reading, relaxing and all those other fun things you do on your honeymoon (what? we're still newylweds!) before we hop a plane over to the island of Aitutaki for 5 more nights in an overwater bungalow and another little beach house.

We're bringing no computers or cellphones, so all contact with the outside world will have to wait until I return on the 24th, but I promise to post pictures.

Paradise, here we come!

Veggie Patch "Pizza"

VEGGIE PATCH PIZZA

2 pkg. crescent rolls
2 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 envelope Ranch dressing
1 c. mayo
¾ c. scallions
¾ c chopped green pepper
¾ c. chopped carrots
¾ c. chopped broccoli
¾ c. chopped cauliflower
¾ c. chopped black olives
¾ c. cheddar cheese

Bake rolls as crust on large cookie sheet. Cool. Mix dressing with mayo and cream cheese. Spread on crust. Press veggies into mixture. Cover. Let sit overnight. Put on cheese when ready to serve.

NOTE: I don't particularly care for raw veggies, but I love this "pizza". This recipe makes enough to feed 12 comfortably.

Birthday Gifts

I'm a little late in posting this, but both sets of parents gave me some awesome gifts for my birthday this year so I just wanted to share.

Hubby's mom is still in a walking cast and not getting around too much, so she gave me her Macy's card and a limit on what I could spend and let me pick out what I wanted. I got an awesome pair of Sketchers that will be great for travelling to the Cooks. They're light weight, slip on and won't take a lot of space in my suitcase. I've been wanting a pair of shoes like this for a long time so I was very excited to find that they were on sale and between that and the coupon I had for $10 off, they met the limit of what I could spend exactly!

My parents sent me this beautiful white "jacket". It's got the puffy vest like look with ribbed knit sleeves. It's very warm and very cute.

They also sent me another box that had a label on it that said chocolates. I didn't even want to open the box because I knew I'd be tempted to eat them all before I left for the honeymoon which would not have been good. But, when I spoke with my mom later in the day and thanked her for the jacket, she asked if I liked the other gift as well. I told her it was a mean trick to play on me right before I had to wear a swimsuit. That's when she informed me the box didn't actually hold chocolates. Silly me! So, I rushed home to open it and received a wonderful surprise...a Martha Stewart craft punch and three glitters! Perfect for this craft and Martha Stewart addicted girl!

Thanks Mom & Dad (both sets) for such wonderful gifts!

My Weekend of Indulgence

Alright, so celebrating three birthdays the weekend before you leave for your honeymoon where you'll be wearing a bikini for two weeks may not have been the best idea, but the food sure was good while it lasted!

Over the next week or so I'll have posts on some of the different recipes that were included in the celebration of hubby's grandma's 90th, our cousin-in-law Jen and my birthdays, as well as Superbowl Sunday. Here are the menus:

GRANDMA'S BIRTHDAY BRUNCH
Veggie Patch Pizza
Blueberry French Toast Casserole
Ham & Cheese Brunch Squares
Fruit Salad (no recipe for this...just chop and mix a bunch of your favorite fruits together)
Pistachio Cake

BIRTHDAY DINNER FOR ME & JEN
White Pizza with Mushrooms
Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Filling & Chocolate Ganache

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY/MY birthDAY
Homemade Guacamole & Chips
Smoked Salmon with Cheese & Crackers
Leftover Veggie Pizza
Leftover Chocolate Cake

Yeah, I don't even want to know how many calories I consumed in those two days, but it sure was yummy! And for those family members who were giving me a hard time about making everything on this list myself besides the French Toast Casserole (thanks, Jen!) and the Pistachio Cake (thanks, mom-in-law!), my philosophy is that if there's gonna be leftovers and it's for my birthday, if I make it myself, I know I'll like it!

Oh, and the above menus don't include the delicious homemade brownies I made on Friday night. The mom of one of my friends who I've known since elementary school makes the best brownies and I've always wanted her recipe. Well, I finally got it this past week so of course I had to make them. They were just as yummy as I remembered from all those years ago and I'll never make brownies from a box again.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I'm an old lady. Alright so 28 isn't that old, but still.

I just praise God because every day and every year is better than the one before. I've loved every moment He's given me and I'll enjoy every more minute I'm blessed with.

We're celebrating by watching the big game...Go Cardinals!

Hopefully there'll be some cake and ice cream involved too :)

Also, I forgot to post the first birthday from work this year, but I've declared 2009 the year of the Bundt cake because as I told the guys from work, "Cupcakes are so 2008". A bundt cake is 10 times faster than making cupcakes and I'm all about shortcuts! Plus, they look so pretty. The first one was a yellow cake with chocolate icing that I heated in the microwave so it drizzled nicely over the cake and then I covered it in multi colored round sprinkles. It looked like a giant chocolate covered donut and it was delicious!

And now for some personal humiliation - some photos of me through the years:

A few thoughts I had while watching this: Boy, was I tan in 2nd grade! I miss my naturally straight hair...don't get perms your hair is never the same! I sure had some ugly and fat years in there! I sure am glad I learned how to pluck my eyebrows...no more furry catepillars sititng above my eyes!

Isn't it fun looking at photos of yourself and seeing how you've changed?

Party 'til the cows come home (or leave)

They start out so sweet and innocent. Clarabell's mommy died in childbirth, so she was raised as a bottle fed calf a few years ago. She was the sweetest little girl and you thought she'd remember you forever.

Fast forward a few years and that cute little girl is now a big mamma who likes to cause trouble. Last week hubby was loading up his cows to take them to Pennsylvania for a few months because we don't have enough pasture and stuff for them during the winter and to get bred. I had already left for work, so I wasn't able to help him load, and loading 5 cows on your own is no fun task.

Well, Clarabell delayed things by a couple hours by not wanting to get on the trailer and made hubby so mad that he sold her as soon as he got to Pennsylvania.

For all you animal lovers out there, she wasn't sold as meat, but as a recip cow or basically a surrogate. So now, she's looking at a life of being pregnant one calf after another. Best of luck to you Clarabell!

Wedding Photos

Moriah at Please Pass the Salt participated in this and I thought it'd be fun to join in too. Most of them don't have my groom's full face in them unfortunately due to him needing to stay mostly anonymous, but there is a side view!

Our wedding was on October 6, 2007 at the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch in Loveland, Colorado. It was an outside ceremony and reception so we were praying for no snow. We had a three day party and it was hands down the best weekend of our lives! We had 70 degree weather the whole time with some wind on our wedding day and just as we were leaving to drive to the mountains for a few days before heading home, it started to snow. Is God good or what!?

Final Monogram Choice

Thanks for everybody's vote and comments on the monogram. I think the first one is my favorite, but I'm not sure yet.

Here's the one that my cousin and her fiancee chose:

Updated Blog Roll

If you have some time on your hands and want to read some more blogs, check out my updated blog roll. If you're a regular reader and I don't have you listed, please leave me a comment so I can check out your blog too.

Happy 90th Gram!

Today is my hubby's grandma's 90th birthday! She is such an amazing lady and I'm so blessed that I have the chance to call her Grandma too.

She is unlike any other 90 year old I've ever met. She still lives on her own in the same house that she raised hubby's dad and his older sister (who unfortunately died in her 50s of cancer). She delivers the Meals on Wheels, they don't come to her. She's also the same lady who went parasailing for the 7th time this past summer at the age of 89. For Christmas, we all gave her a gift certificate for a hot air balloon ride once the weather gets warmer. And, if she has her way, she'll get to experience skydyving before the Lord calls her home as well.

In addition to her spirit of adventure, she makes the best eclairs you'll ever taste and hosts a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner every year. She's such a wonderful lady and I hope she'll at least stick around until we can celebrate her 100th!

Here's to you, Gram. Hope I have at least a quarter of your spunk and spirit of adventure when I'm your age! Can't wait to celebrate with you this weekend.

25 Random Things

All the craze on Facebook right now is tagging people to list 25 random things about themselves, and Beth tagged me so I thought I'd use it for blog fodder too.

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you want to play along go right ahead and leave me a comment so I can read your 25 random things.

1. I have naturally curly hair and I hate it. It never looks like beautiful curls...they all curl a different way and thus I have become the biggest fan of the flatiron.

2. I am always freezing cold but tell my hubby all the time that "cold hands equals warm heart". He usually laughs in response...I don't know why!

3. I'm addicted to sugar and desserts. Addicted might be too strong, but I definitely love sweets!

4. I have very small hands.

5. If I could go back to college and major in something else, I would do it in a heartbeat. Interior or graphic design would be my new major of choice.

6. I am going to have a second nephew in a month and hope he doesn't come before I get back from my trip!

7. I'm anxious to join the mommy bandwagon, but know it will come in due time.

8. There are two stations that play on my car radio...country and contemporary Christian.

9. I'm a closet Martha Stewart addict. This is a recent addiction and I have to sneak in my tivo'd shows when no one else is watching!

10. I'm a crime show tv junkie. My favorite shows are: NCIS, Criminal Minds, 24, CSI: (only the original), Psych, Lost, Survivor and Amazing Race.

11. Those are my favorite shows I watch with hubby. I also enjoy Divine Design and any other decor show on HGTV.

12. Hubby and I plan to move to our new home this June and I'm super excited!!

13. I really don't like vegetables at all, but I force myself to eat them because I know it's the adult thing to do.

14. I really dislike doing laundry so I let it pile up for weeks until I have 7 loads to do in one weekend. Not fun. Personally, I think that says we have way too many clothes, or my husband wears his way too long before changing!

15. I love reading blogs and I'm terrible about leaving comments because I'm too lazy to click out of my Outlook RSS feeds box to go to the comment area.

16. I'm terrible about wasting time on the internet while I'm at work. I get all my work done, but seriously I must spend at least 4 hours a day doing my own thing at work because there's not enough to keep me busy.

17. I love to read and constantly have piles of books and magazines lying around.

18. I love being snowed in with a roaring fire, cozy blanket, my hubby and a good movie or book.

19. I inherited by Dad's genes for talking way more than those around me want me to.

20. I wish I lived closer to my siblings and family so I could see them more often.

21. I already have names picked out for my children now I just need children and to convince my hubby that he likes the names too.

22. One of my new favorite snacks is the "sweet and salty" granola bars...the peanut and almond are the best.

23. I love to bake and can't wait until my own kitchen with the double ovens and huge countertop space is finished this summer.

24. I've ridden a camel and an elephant.

25. I'm starting to get scared of snorkeling in the Cook Islands because I've been reading about people who got swept out to see in a rip current while snorkeling.

There you go 25 things about me that you probably wish you never knew!

My Visit with Martha

Yesterday my mom was in town and we went to see a taping of The Martha Stewart Show in NYC.

We were super excited just to see what Martha was doing, but also because guests in the past few days had received awesome giveaways such as $100 juicers, cupcake stuff, craft stuff, special edition Estee Lauder makeup sets, etc.

After waiting for a train that was delayed 45 minutes, we finally arrived in the city and walked our way through the crowds only to wait in line another 45 minutes in the freezing cold outside her studio. While waiting, we saw people leaving the taping of the LIVE show for the day that tapes in the morning. They had huge brown bags filled with stuff, so we were all starting to get more excited.

They finally let us in and Joey came out (if you watch the show, you know who he is) to tell us what the show was on. It was now Tuesday, February 10th, and we were talking about stuff for Valentine's Day. Martha had one of her former chefs on and they were going to make steak au poivre and pastries. She was also going to do a glitter craft and had some live birds on her show before doing another craft. We all thought we were going to get to taste some pastries and get some good foodie and/or crafty giveaways. Yeah!!

The staff came around to see if anyone had questions for the "Ask Martha" segment they were going to record if there was time and they put stars on your tickets if your question was picked. My mom got a star which meant we got awesome seats!

They lead us all into the studio (after giving us the signs for applause, aahh, oohh, and mmm of course!) and we anxiously awaited Martha. She looked so pretty when she came out in a yellow shirt, khaki colored dress slacks, and high heels. She went right to work cooking the steak and it smelled heavenly! After a commercial break, they came back and finished up the steak and proceeded to give out the first giveaway. What was it you ask? A new pan, Omaha steaks, a special pepper grinder? Oh no my friends. We got demi glaze! Yeah. The $5 tub you could make yourself or buy at the grocery store! Whoopie de da do! And we didn't get to taste any pastries either :(

The next segment was Martha crafting the glitter heart buckles to use on wrapping your valentine gifts. Very cute, but seeing how they didn't give out the glitter, and I'm not even going to be around this Valentine's Day, I don't think I'm going to be rushing out to buy all the different colors to make my own "bedazzled" buckles! Not to mention the fact that I don't think my hubby will wear it after he unwraps his gift.

Next was time for the birds. They had a lady there from the Maryland Zoo with 4 different kinds of endangered birds. The first one was this huge crane that looked like this:

The bird had to make a grand entrance, so they had him in the back of the studio audience and when called he flew down over us (we were directly under his flight path) up to the front. After they finished his segment, he was supposed to fly back up to the trainer behind us. As he took off, he was a lot lower over us going back than he was coming, and two rows short of the back he decided he got tired and decided to perch on some lady's head instead! It was hilarious!! Best part of the whole show!

Once they got the crane off her head, they went on to show us the hawk, parrot and tucan that they had as well.

After the commercial break, Martha was supposed to show us how to etch on a fish tank and we were all supposed to get another giveaway (which my mom peeked on the way out and saw it was a glass etching kit which I've wanted for a long time), but to protect themselves from getting sued, they had the lady who had the crane on her head come on to have her say on national tv that she was okay after the incident, and ran out of time to do anything else.

My mom did get a chance to ask Martha her question after the show was done taping, "How do I get red candle wax off my white wall?" and Martha's answer was, "Paint. It will never come off and ban all red candles from your house like I have because the red dye is the worst."

So, even though we only came away with "meat glaze" as my mom likes to say, we had a great time and are looking forward to getting tickets again.

If you feel like seeing a lady with a giant crane standing on her head (and my mom and I because we should be in the front row off the floor) then definitely watch the show on February 10th. It's hilarious!

P.S. We came home and watched the live show from yesterday morning's taping to see what they all had in their big brown bags and they got fleece jackets, Quaker oat products and an Obama hat. I could have done without the hat, but the fleece sure would have been nice!

Monograms

Here are some of the monogram options I've come up with so far for my cousin and her fiancee. We're going to use whichever one they pick on their envelopes, thank you notes, favors, napkins, etc.

Which one do you like best?

New "Client"

I'm super excited about this wedding I'm working on right now. Afterall, it's only fair that I donate my services after my cousin came and helped me put together all my centerpieces:

Currently I'm working on the invitation. I'm going to make a few modifications before I send it to her for final approval...such as actually having a photo of her and her fiancee instead of a random one I used, converting the photo and font to sepia instead of black, and adding in all the necessary wording for the invite. We're also going to do something besides the rhinestones. They wanted something that would be affordable to mail, so we came up with a format that fits in a #10 envelope. Looking at these photos again, I see my proportions are off, but you get the idea:



It was my first time using a stamp with a glue pad and glitter and I think I'm addicted!

I'm also working on designing a monogram for them to use on numerous things as well as centerpieces and other stuff. I love doing this stuff and wish I could do it for a full-time job. Maybe someday...

House Remodel: Kitchen Demo

I thought I had posted some photos of our kitchen demo, but can't seem to find them, so here are some more. Right now everything is on hold during the winter months - let's just say it's not cheap to heat a 7200 sq. ft. house with no insulation and very poor windows. I won't even mention how much our heating bill was, but will say it tripled what it was last month even though we have everything turned super low. We'll definitely have to be doing something about the lack of insulation.

Before we left for the winter, though, we were able to get most of the kitchen demo done so that when we come back in the spring we can start on installing new flooring, cabinets, countertops, and finally having one room finished. I have the finished design in my head and can't wait to start seeing it get put into motion.

I had to have our neighbor take my picture just so I had proof that I'm also working!

Say it ain't so...

Wow...it's been a long break I've taken from blogging. Don't know if anybody still checks in on this thing, but in case anyone is out there...

I'm sure we're all pretty sick of seeing Christmas photos by this time in January, but I have to post some for posterity. So without further ado:

L to R (front): my brother-in-law, sister, nephew, my brother's girlfriend, my brother; (middle): my parents; (back): me and hubby (who still has to remain faceless)

My cute nephew wearing an outfit I wore as a baby that my parents bought when they travelled Europe while pregnant with me. Hopefully my kids will get a chance to wear it too!

On New Year's Eve, hubby and I had to make a trip to New Mexico for a business trip. We left my parents' house in Colorado Springs at 4am to start the 5.5 to 6 hour drive. I'm trying to get my photo with every state sign, but seeing how it was still dark when we crossed the NM border, this is the best I could do. We got to the ranch where we needed to install the system and learned that it's actually owned by the either the writer or producer of A River Runs Through It. Hubby got to meet the guy, but I stayed in the car for what was only supposed to be an hour, but ended up being three and a half, looking at home remodeling and decor magazines and napping. We then stopped and had dinner and headed back to Colorado arriving around 9:30pm...just in time to celebrate New Year's Eve with my parents. Long day, but fun day.

The rest of the time out there, we just relaxed, ate, played games, and of course shopped. It was a lot of fun.

I'm back (for now anyway...)

So 2009 isn't shaping up to be a good blogging year so far, but hopefully we'll get better as time moves on.

Hubby & I travelled to Colorado to spend time with my family for Christmas. We had the opportunity to enjoy Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas breakfast with his family before we left on a jet plane. Besides the 4 kids constantly screaming in French behind us and kicking the back of our seat, it was a pretty smooth flight.

My mom's dad and his wife had already arrived in town by the time we got there so we had a couple days of just my parents, us and them until my nephew, Braden, and his parents (love ya too guys...but let's be honest you know we all are dying to see Braden!) arrived on Saturday night the 27th. Shortly after they got to our house from the airport, my mom received a call on her cellphone that brought some very devastating news. The husband and father of our very, very dear family friends was in a serious accident and death was imminent. We called my brother and had him and his girlfriend drive over to the hospital because they were right in the area, and then my sister, parents and I started out on the 2 hour drive north. We got to the hospital around 10:30pm or so and finally got the story.

Jim (who's only a year older than my dad) was ice fishing with their second oldest, Adam (who's my sister's age). It was really windy so they decided to pack up and call it a day. Adam had taken the first load to the truck and turned to go get more when he saw his dad lying flat on his back on the ice further from the truck. He thinks what happened was that some of their gear got blown away by the wind and Jim went after it only to slip and fall flat on his back, fracturing the back of his skull on the ice. This and the combination of being on blood thinner for his heart caused a bleeding on the brain and uncontrollably hemmoraghing of the brain stem. Due to the conditions and remote location, it took over three hours to get him to the emergency room. He never woke up again, but was put on life support in hopes that he would. From the time he was brought in and through several tests later, there was never any brain activity so the doctor finally pronounced him dead around noon on Sunday. They hoped to donate his organs, but when they did the autopsy they discovered that his spleen was three times the normal size, so they were only able to donate his corneas.

It's such a freak accident and so hard to believe Jim's gone. My heart breaks for his wife Linda (one of my mom's best friends), and their children Justin (27) and his new wife Vale (we just went to their wedding the end of October), Adam (25), Larissa (21), and Evan (18 and a senior in high school). The Hirt's aren't just friends...they're family. We grew up together from the time Justin & I were 1 and 2 years old, having sleepovers at each others houses. I can't even begin to fathom the loss and grief they're experiencing right now.

Back (L to R): Evan, Jim, Justin, Adam
Front (L to R): Justin's wife Vale, Linda, Larissa

Jim was an amazing man. A man after God's own heart who wasn't afraid to demonstrate that love to those around him. In the short time he was on earth, he made more of an impact than many people who live much longer than him ever will. We don't understand why God called him home at this time, but we can rest knowing that it's all part of God's perfect plan and that Jim is with his Heavenly Father.

I leave tomorrow to fly back to Colorado for the memorial service on Saturday and will be back sometime next week. If you remember, please keep the Hirt family in your prayers.

If you want to read more about Jim from his wife and children's perspectives, check out the blog they started in his honor here.

For now...

read this blog and please pray for this family.

I will update more when I return from spending time with my family in Colorado on Monday.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.