A Week Away

Chris and I got to head out of town and stay an entire week at his parents' house. People always comment how strange it is that we take a whole week off, but we like to make Thanksgiving and Christmas our extended holidays with family, and since we split them between Texas and Indiana, it just makes sense to take a longer vacation for each. We feel blessed that we can do this and soak up lots of time with family and friends.

We slept A LOT! Apparently our bodies needed lots of rest and relaxation. I read a book and Chris played computer games all week. Marlow also loved all the extra affection and attention. I enjoyed walking most mornings and cooking for my in-laws, however, I did absolutely no cooking for Thanksgiving, which felt odd. But it was a much needed break from time on my feet and meal planning, which normally consumes my mind.

Last Sunday, my grandma passed away. She lived a full life, indeed, at 100 years old. It was her time to go and we all feel that it's a very good thing. She is now with Jesus, so there's no better place she could be. We were sad to miss the funeral in Missouri, but I feel like I said my good-bye a long time ago, when her mind was healthy and she knew who I was. I feel honored to have had her as my grandma.

The latest news I received tonight and it's the BEST news ever! My brother and sister-in-law are expecting their first baby! They are due at the end of June and I am going to be Aunt Carey! I am so happy for them and so thankful that God has answered many, many prayers. I cannot wait and my heart is filled to the brim tonight with joy for them.

He's a Steppin' Machine

My sweet "nephew," Jaxson, is one year old now and walking like crazy. He's soo sweet and loves me. Marlow loves him, too!

The Kitchen

Here's some of the kitchen I work out of.

Uploaded

I had a bunch of pictures on my camera that needed uploaded. Here's a sample.

This was my attempt to take a picture of Marlow in his "Halloween costume" as a rabbit. That's a carrot in his mouth.

They like to snuggle when it's cold.

My neighbor and her new baby. He's almost one month old now.

TGIF

Yay for Fridays. I was off today, although I did spend a significant amount of time doing work-related stuff, but no cooking. Tomorrow I prep for a dinner gig on Sunday. Work has been kicking my butt lately. It's exhausting, I'll be honest. But I LOVE working for myself and can't wait to transition to the point where I'm full time with Taste and See Fine Dining (I still think it's a mouthful saying it all, but it's the underlying message that counts.) Until then though, I have to divide my time cooking for two companies. (Speaking though of Sunday, guess what I get to do this weekend???? SING!!! More on that in a second.)

We recently did our budget for Q1 of 2009 (I speak geek.) and our general rule is that the first step is to write down every thing that we want to do in that first 3-month block, holding nothing back. So from our list, basically all of it got "greyed out," which means, we aren't able to afford it now, but hopefully in the future sometime we will. It stinks keeping a budget, but it's a good discipline. I'd love for Chris to be able to buy a new bike. It would really make a difference when he does his triathalons (note: he rides a $30 rode bike) and he would just really love having one to work out with. I would love it if he could go camping every year with his best guy friends from Indiana. I'd love to be able to pay for Marlow to go to doggy daycare once a week or do agility classes. I think either of those would be great for his social skills and confidence. I would love to see my family more than once every 9 months and buy a big dining table that seats a lot of people. Those are just a few things that we choose not to do so that we can pay off our car, keep on keepin' on with the student loans, and put money in savings for emergencies, air conditioner, etc. Blah. Sorry about all that boring money talk. But onto what I was originally going to say regarding money.

Yes, folks, it looks as though my three and a half year season of not singing is coming to an end. And I can't tell you how happy I am about that. I've missed it so much and definitely feel that I am so out of shape. I've considered taking voice lessons many times, but the truth is, we just don't have the money for it. Instead, I do my vocal exercises in the comfort of my home without anyone around. :) Poor Marlow. But I am very happy to have the chance to sing for the first time in a long time this Sunday at church. I feel kind of weird doing it since I really don't know many people yet and we haven't even committed to this church since we started going 3 months ago, but I kind of like that. I like that you don't have to sign anything or be "in the club" to just use a gift.

Onto other matters.

I made Marlow some pumpkin dog treats yesterday. I figure that he's missing out on the yummy seasonal foods, so I baked out of pity for him. (and because we were out of treats and it's a way to save some money.) It's easy to throw together a glob of some sort that is edible for dogs. I personally like it because I get to use up things in my fridge (ya'll know how much I enjoy that!) that have been sitting there for awhile. Herbs are a great ingredient in dog treats because they naturally help cure bad breath. Especially parsley and mint. Never add salt or sugar or chocolate or raisins. You're not making it to taste good to a human's palate. Also, use whole wheat if you can. You're wanting it to be as healthy as possible. So, here's the glob that turned into little cookies for Marleypoo: whole wheat flour, oats, canned pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, plain yogurt. I recommend concocting something for your pooch sometime. It's essentially free if you use whatever you already have on hand. Bake until it is set and golden. They make a great gift for their playmates, too!

It's A Start

www.tasteandseefinedining.com

Songs I Could Listen To Over and Over and Over

And this does bother whoever is riding in the car with me, but don't you ever find a song that you can't help playing again, turning up the volume a little (or a lot), and singing your heart out along with it? Here are a few I've been bonding with lately.

Free Fallin--John Mayer
Stay--Little Big Town
Rocking Song--Acapella
Forever and Ever Amen--Randy Travis
Keep It Loose Keep It Tight--Amos Lee
No One--Alicia Keys
Be The Change--Kat Edmonson
All I Need--Bethany Dillon
Sell Out--Axis

November Already?

My body is exhausted from work. And the busy season is just beginning. I did a 12 hour day yesterday as I listened to the UTvTech game from the kitchen. It was a wedding reception/party for the couple who got married a month ago in Mexico. The bride was a Texas Tech graduate, the groom a Longhorn, and therefore a pretty interesting night. I have to admit that I only actually saw the last three minutes of the game, but that's all I needed to see. What an ending!

I worked on Halloween, but had the night off. I went and saw Carrie Underwood and enjoyed it very much. Chris is not a fan, to say the least, of country music, so I left him at home. I was proud of myself for not buying a single bag of Halloween candy this year.

I'm so tired and not looking forward to another busy week of work.