Back in Action

Well...I know I keep commenting on my delinquency with posting, but between school and work there isn't much time for blogging...or so I tell myself.  I find that I may need to get back on my blog more frequently as it provides an outlet for me to vent or at least get my head a little emptier.  It's been awhile since I made a post and my posts prior to that were less than consistent.  I am making a vow now to get back on my blog and actually keep it up.  I want this to be a place where I can talk about great books I'm reading, frustrations with school, recipes I might have tried, Jesus moments I may experience, and other musings I feel like someone else might can relate to or appreciate.

Until next time folks!

Welcome Back

Wow!  What a slacker I have been, not that anyone probably reads this blog.  School and work have gotten crazy and starting a new job has been insanity during school.  On a brighter note, I have figured out what kind of nurse I want to be!  I am officially in love with delivering babies.  After doing my rotation through OB/Peds, I have decided that Labor & Delovery is just the place for me. 

Some people find delivering babies to be icky and gross, but not this girl!  There is something about watching a baby come into this world and taking it's first breath that brings butterflies to my stomach and puts a smile on my face.  While I haven't experienced the negative side of L&D, I know that this will be another set of emotions that I would have to learn to cope with.  I feel like working in those situations, you have to either be distant and not let anything get to you or be big-hearted and be able to help the family grieve and be there to listen and offer a shoulder to cry on.  I would fall into the latter category and am proud of it!

All in all, my OB experience was wonderful and the thought of leaving it next week is quite sad to me.  As I move on to another med-surg experience, I will once again be praying for guidance and wisdom on how to make this stuff click and how to get through this program without losing my mind.  Here's hoping all goes well!  I'll keep y'all posted!

For Women Only

While cruising one of my favorite social media networks, I came across a picture of a book that a friend of mine was reading.  I like to think that I don't base the books I read solely on reader ratings, but when it is a book I have never heard of, I will do my research and see what other people say.  I noticed that the post had a couple comments all praising the book, so I decided to check it out. "For Women Only" by Shaunti Feldhahn was to become my next read.  Basically, this woman has set out to help the sexes understand each other.  It is a look into what your husband, boyfriend, partner is thinking and why they sometimes do the things they do.

I think us women would all love to know what our husbands are thinking sometimes, at least I know I would.  Sometimes I find myself wondering why my husband reacts the way he does or what he could possibly be thinking.  In this book, the author attempts to reveal the inner workings of the male mind using interviews and surveys with strangers and friends.  I must admit that reading this book certainly has me intrigued because as I read, I find myself noticing things that I do mentioned in the book and the way she says men react is generally how Justin reacts.  It is very interesting to have the male sources she interviews explain things and have them make perfect sense.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I think men must be missing a vital part of their brain that is necessary for common sense thought, but in reading this book it seems that their brains just work differently than ours.  I am really looking forward to seeing what else I can learn from this woman and the knowledge she has gleaned from males all over America.  I even bought my husband the male version "For Men Only".  He started reading and said that it is making me a little clearer to him. 

Who knows?  Perhaps we will come out understanding each other better!  Stay tuned for more information on how these books are enlightening Justin and myself on the mysterious ways of the opposite sex.
I

Always Something

As I'm sure anyone reading this blog (if any such person exists) knows, I am a student and working full-time just to make ends meet.  Luckily for me, my wonderful husband works several jobs so that we can continue to live our normal life, but I must admit that things still get a little tight.  Recently, we were doing so well with keeping our finances under control, but lately it seems like we just can't catch a break.  We both went to the dentist for a routine cleaning after what I'm sure was entirely too long and come to find out, we both have cavities that need filling (hence the reason you don't wait so long).  We finally took a well-deserved vacation to the beach and when we returned home and tried to mow the yard following a week of rain, the mower locked down and we had to drop a couple hundred dollars on a new mower.

My phone needed replacing, school tuition needed paying, and then there were those fillings we would need to be paying for.  It seems like just when we get in a good place things just seem to add up.  We can't seem to get ahead without there always being something else that needs paying for.  I understand that we aren't doing too bad at all for the position we are in and for our age and newlywed status, but it is often quite frustrating to have to keep such a tight budget.

Good news is that I am getting ready to start a new job and even though it is still not my ideal job (because I have to get out of school first for that), I am getting a slight pay increase and will only be working three days a week instead of five.  I guess now all we can do is pray and put all of the trials in our lives in God's hands.  Lately, I find that I praying more and more for financial stability and for God's plan to be fulfilled as far as my education goes.  I am trying to transfer to a different nursing program that will allow me to get my BSN more quickly.  We shall see I reckon.  I have given this and our finances up to the Lord and I will probably have to do this repeatedly, but I will continue to turn these over to Him until I see what happens.

More to follow!

I'm Back

Alright, alright...I know I keep saying that I am going to quit having these long gaps in my posts, but now I am seriously back!  I have just finished my summer session of nursing school and may actually have time to write more.  Since we last left off, I have started working full-time, started reading a wonderful devotional, and have developed even more dislike for the school and nursing program I am in.  I am now officially getting a 5-week break from school and am planning on thoroughly enjoying this time off.  Although I will be catching up on my pharmacology reading during this break (assuming I didn't fail my class), I am planning on trying lots of new recipes, taking some fun little trips (even if just for the day), and getting in some quality, non-school-related reading on my new tablet.

I look forward to keeping you posted on what's going on and the changes that are taking place in my life.  I am implementing a serious workout plan and I will need lots of prayers and motivation to stick to.  I am trying to make delicious and nutritious food to help both my husband and myself lose a little weight.  I am delving into this wonderful new devotional called "Wife After God" to try to establish a better relationship with my husband and my God.  I can't wait for my readers (if there are any) to be along for the ride.

If you are interested in this wonderful devotional, check it out here.  It is written by a lady who also has a blog called Unveiled Wife where she gives Christian marriage advice to help wives in this thing we call love.  I find that she has some wonderful advice and that my husband is even interested in some of the things she is saying.

Until next time!

End of a Love Story

Well, as I stated in my last post, I had to have more work. Since nothing is happening quickly with a hospital job, I sent my resume to a different department at work that can guarantee more hours and a more consistent work schedule. Needless to say, my boss was not to happy and when she asked me why I didn't tell her I needed more hours, I admit I got a little heated because I was talking to them about replacing my lost hours before my lady ever moved.

Anyway, today is my last day working with my sweet lady and I can honestly say I am heart-broken.  She is so sweet and has weezeled her way into my heart, but I have a feeling that she will be coming back to me in the department I am moving to.  As I said in my last post, I was applying to several jobs to try to get closer to full time.  At church on Sunday, I prayed about it and prayed again with my husband that afternoon. It is amazing to me to see God work and I will be starting full-time on Monday.

Now I am sure I will be complaining about this in a few weeks, but I think if I can manage to work through school, our financial stress will be significantly reduced and I may actually get to see my husband some.

Until next time!

Working Girl Blues

Struggling...that's is precisely what I am doing right now.  If anyone actually reads this blog, they know that I am currently in nursing school and trying to work at the same time.  It worked out really well last semester and I did well on my tests.  This semester, I am having a little more trouble with tests, but I don't really know if this has to do with work or with total lack of motivation to doing anything because it's summer.  Anyway, I digress.  I am at a place right now where my husband is tremendously over-worked and I am feeling guilty because we still have to have enough money to pay my student loans from my previous undergraduate degree. 

I had a really great situation worked out where I was working 25 hours a week and picking up weekend shifts here and there, but things have changed at my job.  My client has moved to Assisted Living and my hours have been cut dramatically.  Despite me begging my employer to replace my hours, this has not happened and I just can't work 6 hours a week and pay the bills.  So I have been applying to jobs at hospitals in the area with the hope of getting my foot in the door somewhere so that when I am a nurse, I will pretty much be guaranteed a job...not to mention it would be nice to be on my own health insurance so that come February I won't have to worry about adding myself onto Justin's.  I have applied for several jobs and heard nothing back as of yet.  I guess my point in writing tonight is for support and in an effort to get prayers from wherever I can.  I am praying that I will get a job that will work out with my school schedule and allow me work close to full-time.  If this were to work out, Justin could work just two jobs instead of three and I would feel better because I would be making more money to contribute to our home.

 Anyway, I guess I just needs prayers that a job will come through for me.  I need something to work out so that I can get on the ball making some money and getting health insurance.

First Day of Summer

Wow, so can I say again what a slacker I am?  Seriously, I am going to make an effort to be more diligent with my blogging.  On a different note, on this the first day of summer, I decided to do some summer cleaning.  Do you ever look around your house and think to yourself, "Man, I am living in a pig sty?!" 

 Well I find that on occasion this happens to me.  Life gets a little crazy, school is making you want to pull your hair out, your husband is working days on end, and things just seem to pile up.  So this afternoon, I got off work and let my puppies out to enjoy the beautiful summer sunshine.  Then I got out my cleaning bucket and got to work.  I didn't clean as vigorously as I normally would because I have some free time this weekend and decided to do it well and right rather than rushing through to get everything done before I go to bed.  I must admit that I LOVE the smell of Gain laundry detergent and am totally pumped about all the cleaning products lately smelling like Gain.  I used my Mr. Clean with Gain cleaner this afternoon and am thoroughly enjoying my entire house smelling like a load of laundry.

Needless to say, with Justin at work, my list of tasks is quite long as I like to keep myself busy...otherwise I find that the saying, "Idle hands do the devil's handiwork," is quite true and I end up either talking to myself too much or spending money that I simply don't have.  So while the hubby is at work, I will be cleaning, reading for school, and making some super cute Mr. and Mrs. pillows for my bed (photos to follow).

Aging...The Less Gracious Side

Something happened today and, to be honest, it blew my mind.  While in school, I am working part-time as a sitter with an elderly woman.  She is by far one of the sweetest people I have ever met and I have known quite a few wonderful people in my life.  I am with her pretty frequently and have gotten quite attached to her.  Considering I no longer have living grandmothers, she has almost become a stand in and I find taking care of her enjoyable...it's what I would do if my grandmothers were still here and needed me.  She is in the process of moving to a facility where they will be able to provide her with more care and I am going with her, but won't be with her as much as normal.

In talking with her family today, I got the strange feeling that they are giving up on her.  I mean, I get that she has a doctor in the family and I can totally respect that.  Basically, I was told that they didn't feel the need to freak out or worry if she went a day or two without her medications because she is almost at the end and really what good are they going to do anyway.  The thought that immediately crossed my mind was, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME??"  This woman has battled and beat breast cancer and is now dealing with a progressive disease that affects her motor skills and speech.  I will admit that I have noticed the progression of her disease in the few months that I have been with her, but to be 91-years-old, she is doing pretty dang well if you ask me. 

Who cares if she can't control her bladder and doesn't realize she has spilled apple sauce on her shirt.  Does that mean she is knocking on death's doorstep??  Maybe I have gotten too close and am entirely too attached to this woman, but to say that she is about to die and that you will be lucky to have her at Christmas seems a little drastic when I sit with her every day and we have normal conversations and eat lunch together and generally enjoy each other's company.  Being with her every day gives me insight into how she is and how her health is treating her.  BEGIN RANT:  I would say that if you want to start making predictions on when she will be leaving this Earth to be with her Maker, then maybe you should be around more than once a week, month, or year to see how well she is really doing to be 91-years-old. END RANT!

Let us not write off our aging population just because they are not doing as well as they used to be.  Don't assume someone is dying in the near future just because they are going through the normal process of aging and progressing a little more quickly than we are comfortable with.

Jesus Take The Wheel

Here lately, I have been getting a little down on myself.  For no reason in particular other than the fact that my life is not quite where I expected it to be at 25-years-old.  Now, the Christian girl in me keeps telling myself that God has a plan for me and I firmly believe that, but on days when I notice that other people are getting what they want, I don't feel so sure.  The other day I had a total melt-down and forced my husband to take me out for retail therapy all because a girl I went to high school with graduated law school.  Do I know if that's what she expected out of her life? NO!  Do I know if she is truly happy with where her life is headed? NO!  I was being absurd.

Sometimes it is so hard to just let go and let God!  I like to think that I live by this mantra, but sometimes it is really a struggle.  In my heart, I know that God has already seen my life and had it planned out since before I was even thought of, but there are days when I wish I could just understand God's plan.  I am one of those obnoxious people that needs to know now.  I like to know how things work and why they work the way they do.  There are times I feel like I would like to see the future, but then I remind myself that power would not always be so great.

So I am writing today in an attempt to let go and let God.  I am trying to enjoy today and not wish my life away just so I can be at the place I think I want to be.  Is the grass always greener on the other side?  Or does it just look that way from over here?

Springtime Delights

Well folks, again I have let myself become delinquent with my blog.  However, I am vowing to be better!  Sometimes things get a little crazy around here...or a little dull and there is not much to write about.  Today I do have something to write about though!  On Sunday, I met up with my mom who brought me some fresh-picked strawberries from a patch called Greeson's where I've been getting strawberries as long as I can remember.  One of my best friends, Mary, is the one responsible for this love and obsession.  You see, her family owns Greeson's so I could get strawberries all through the season for basically free.  Thus developed a love for these particular strawberries that I can't quite escape.  No others taste quite as good!

Anyway, I digress.  My mom brought me a whole flat of strawberries.  They were absolutely beautiful and smelled utterly delicious.  I immediately began thinking of the ways I could enjoy these sumptuous berries and the delicious recipes I could make.  Of course, about half of them went into the freezer for later use since we can't berries this good all year.  Next I set to searching for a great recipe to make with my berries.

 Justin, being the dessert-lover he is, suggested I could do a strawberry cobbler.  I had never made one before, so I set about finding a recipe that seemed simple enough for a Sunday evening dinner, but looked like something my husband would love.  I found my recipe on Pinterest on a really cute blog called Never Enough Thyme.  It was delicious!!

Basically, you just cut up four cups of strawberries and make a filling that is sugar, corn starch, and water with the strawberries in it.  Just so you know, this filling on the stove smells absolutely amazing and will certainly make your mouth water.  The topping is just basic flour, corn starch, baking powder, butter, milk, and egg.  You drop the topping on in big spoonfuls and then bake for about 25 minutes "til gold and bubbly".  Much like my Steel Magnolias counterparts, I served this over vanilla ice cream "to cut the sweetness".  Needless to say, Justin was a big fan and we have since enjoyed several bowlfuls of this sweet treat.

So the lesson today is, during the springtime when life gives you strawberries, make strawberry cobbler!!

Delinquency & Disdain

Hello out there!  I realize that I have been quite delinquent in my posts as of recently and I apologize.  School has loaded quite a bit on my plate in the last two weeks and obviously that is my first priority.  I have had tests, skills check-offs, and presentations occupying my thoughts entirely too much recently.  Now I am in the final week of my first semester of nursing school and am trying to squeeze studying in while trying to complete a poster for a presentation, make a PowerPoint and outline for another presentation, and remember to actually take my Communications final before Friday.  My Nursing final is also on Friday hence the reason I am trying to fit studying in as well.

All these presentations are leading me to have total and utter disdain for the idea of group projects.  It's a crock if you ask me.  I came from Wake Forest University to a community college and group projects are totally different in these two atmospheres...as is almost everything else about the education process.  At Wake, when group projects were assigned, the groups actually got together to discuss the topic and the group members actually contributed the part they were assigned because everyone in the group genuinely cared about making the best grade possible.  Community college is quite a different story.  Group projects are kind of thrown together and I have found that I tend to take the lead so that I can be sure the project is done well and my grade doesn't suffer due to someone else's lack of preparedness.  For example, I have a final outline and presentation due tomorrow and have been begging my group members to get me their information so that I may complete the outline and also so that I can include visuals in the PowerPoint that are relevant to what each group member is going to be talking about.  As it stands right now, my portion is complete...however, my classmates have yet to send me much of anything and at this point, I am ready to turn in what we have and notify my instructor via our anonymous grading of our group members that none of them have contributed anything nor demonstrated any sense of urgency about getting this presentation done.  It is quite frustrating to come from a school where people valued their education and knew they were moving on to something bigger to a school where people just assume that projects will complete themselves and are satisfied with mediocre, average grades.  I mean, as long as they pass the class, that's all that matters.  Well for me, that's not good enough. 

I am a notorious over-achiever and anyone that knows me will agree.  I like to go above and beyond and education and grades are really important to me.  I think James Cash Penney put it well when he said, "No serious-minded man should have the time for the mediocre in any phase of his living."

Thank you for listening!  Rant over!

Under the Sea

Coming from a life-long Disney fanatic, I am super pumped about them releasing The Little Mermaid on DVD.  Of course, I grew up watching it on VHS and still throw it in the old VCR on occasion, but I will get to add one of my all-time favorites to my DVD collection.  We added Cinderella for my birthday and now this!  I have had people tell me that I am getting too old to love Disney as much as I do, but those are high quality motion pictures and they take me back to simpler times when my parents did everything for me, I didn't have bills, and I didn't have to stress out about tests and finals.

With that said, I apologize for my lack of a post in awhile.  It's been a little hectic at school with the teachers throwing everything on us all in the last two weeks.  Thanks a lot!  I have an exam Monday and skills check-offs basically every day after that.  We could've spaced it out a little. As those of you who have experienced nursing school know, it is not the most organized thing and often things just happen when they happen with not too terribly much notice.  I would much rather have spaced out all this junk throughout the semester.  However, I do have to take a moment to thank my wonderful husband for being such a willing participant in helping me practice my skills.  He is a great patient!

I can't thank God enough for putting such a wonderful man in my life.  I know I mention my husband quite a lot in this blog, but I really am such a lucky girl!  In watching the news the past day or so, I realized how scary his job can be.  Lots of times, he and his firefighter friends brush it off like what they do is no big deal, but I am so proud of my husband and his crew.  Many firefighters and emergency personnel ran into the flames that engulfed a West, Texas fertilizer plant this week rather running out.  Several of those brave men lost their lives and their families lost them too.  I can't imagine getting a phone call or visit like that, but that's the risk my husband runs every day when he goes to work.  I tell him often that while everyday does not involve dangers and massive life-threatening fires, you never when that one day comes and they get called to the big one.  The one that will cause him and his friends to risk they lives to save others.  For any of you that know, care about, or love a firefighter or emergency responder, give them some extra love today and every day and make sure they know how much you care.

I'm All In

Wow!  What I wonderful day I am having today!  My husband came home from work and we got dressed and went to church.  I knew it was going to be a good day because it was Baptism Sunday at church and we were going to get to watch people to make a great decision in their lives.  Since last week, I had been mulling over the idea of baptism in my head.  In the Methodist faith, which is how I grew up, you are baptized as a baby and presented to the church and that's that.  I started to think if I should get baptized again as an adult now that I know to make decisions for myself. 

As we sat listening to Pastor Allen preach, my mind was racing.  I started wishing that I had signed up to participate in the baptism ceremony.  Then Pastor Allen said that if you had been baptized as a baby and wanted to make the commitment as an adult, then today was your day.  I was totally unprepared.  I had on a dress and no change of clothes, but I felt God calling to me.  There was the feeling of butterflies in my stomach and I knew He wanted me to take the plunge.  It was then that Pastor Allen said anyone could get baptized today because the church had put together some bags for people that weren't prepared that had a change of clothes, undergarments, and flip flops that you could get baptized in. 

There was my answer!  He instructed anyone participating in the baptism ceremony to go out to the commons area when the final song started.  I looked at Justin and said, "I'm gonna do it!"  He was so supportive and by my side the whole time.  I went and got my change of clothes on and waited until they called my name.  There were people cheering and clapping and I was helped into the baptismal pool.  Pastor Jason looked at me and asked had I accepted Jesus as my personal savior and I said, "Yes!"  Then he dunked me under the water and I came back up a new woman.  The old was washed away and a girl with a clean slate emerged.  It was amazing!  I was so excited about the decision I had made and Justin was there by my side telling me how proud he was of me.  I was proud of myself and I can't thank God enough for putting that butterflies feeling in my stomach and pushing me to follow Him.  By far, this is the one of the best decisions I have ever made!

Springtime Procrastination

My nursing classmates and I are nearing the end of our first semester and it seems that all the work is being piled on at the end.  We have skills check-offs, exams, and projects to get done all in the last couple weeks.  It's enough to drive you nuts!!  However, Pinterest afforded me the ability to procrastinate my school duties for at least a little while.  On my way home from school yesterday, I thought to myself, "Marissa, we need a spring wreath for our front door."

So I set about to fix this obvious problem.  I stopped at Michaels and picked up the supplies I would need to make a wreath similar to one I saw on Pinterest.  Below is the wreath I was attempting to copy.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find this type of letter, but I thought it turned out cute none-the-less.  All I bought was a twig wreath, wooden letter, fake hydrangea blooms, and some burlap.

I used my trusty hot glue gun the wooden letter and the hydrangeas.  I made a bow out of the burlap and attached that with hot glue as well.  It was just that simple!  Now the hubby and I have a custom-made Spring wreath and I got at least a half hour of procrastination from doing school work.  I would not have been able to finish this great project without the help of my sweet baby Gracie who is always willing to lend a helping paw when Mommy is crafting!

Happy Spring Crafting Y'all!!

Mountain into a Molehill

Several months ago, shortly following my wedding, I picked up a book that my husband had been reading for quite awhile.  I started to thumb through it and a few hours later found myself halfway through the book and formulating a plan in my head.  The book I was reading was Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover".  I called Justin up after reading through the first couple chapters and started to discuss the book with him and see how he felt about it.  So we decided to give it a try and the next day began the process of getting rid of our debt.

As you can imagine, we have quite a bit of debt, most of it is my student debt from attending Wake Forest.  However, we also have some credit cards and things that need to be paid off as well.  Per the plan, the first order of business was to write down all of our debts from smallest to largest.  We sat down together and figured up all of our debts and what the minimum payments were for those.  The next thing was to pay the minimum on all debts to keep them current while accruing an Emergency Fund.  Luckily for us, we had just gotten married, so we used the cash we received as wedding gifts to establish our fund for the most part.  The next step was to maintain making minimum payments on our debts until the smallest was paid off.  During this time, Dave Ramsey suggests throwing any extra money you have at this smallest debt in order to pay it off faster.  We accomplished this first milestone by paying off my credit card that I acquired during college.  One debt down, several more to go.

Dave Ramsey calls this phase of the plan the Debt Snowball.  Basically, you continue to pay minimum payments on everything and once you pay off a debt, that debt's minimum payment gets added to the next smallest until you have only one or two large debts and are making substantial payments on those every month.  He tells you to go after your debt with a gazelle-like intensity and sacrifice now so you can play later. 

So we have been working diligently at this and have managed to still enjoy a comfortable lifestyle while paying off another small loan that my husband accrued and are just about to pay off another credit card in only six short months.  It is such a great feeling to know that we are making this happen.  All the while, we are building up our savings and taking these debts out one at a time.  I thought this plan was really a good choice for us because it gave us some direction as to how to get started and where to go first.  We are well on our way to being debt free.  I can't thank my husband enough for getting this book and planting the seed.  He is also working his behind off in order to help pay off debt so that we can cut into it while I am in school and only working part-time.  He is an amazing man and I am so lucky to have the kind of support he gives me!

I feel like the verse in Psalm 1:3 that says, "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

Projects, Projects Everywhere!!

In the midst of the final month of the semester, all I find myself thinking about are projects I want to do around my house instead of studying fluids and electrolytes or IV drip rates.  My husband and I moved into our house about a year and a half ago and because of our impending wedding and lack of funds, mostly just moved out furniture in and hung pictures on the walls.  As I'm sure many of you are, I am a Pinterest addict and am constantly on there looking at anything from decorating ideas to crafts to workouts.  Unfortunately, my husband hates this website because it means more projects for him to help me with...sorry baby!

I don't know if you read my earlier post about us painting our kitchen, but I think that is what started this process of decorating the house and surrounding areas.  I now have ideas for the back yard, our bedroom, the laundry closet, and other areas of the house.  Below you will find some pictures of the things that I want to try to do at my house...maybe not exactly the same, but along those lines.

             
As you can see, Justin and I will be quite busy over the next few months getting some projects done and some more painting.  I have a couple weeks off before summer semester starts and a couple more weeks before fall, so I will be using my time wisely to create my cute little house.  More pictures to follow as projects are completed...oh yeah, I forgot to post pictures of my apple dumplings that I sent to the fire station, but they were a huge hit and none came home!!

Interval Training

Changing up the workout plan yet again.  I have been doing really well with sticking to my sort of diet...mostly just watching what I eat, monitoring my portions, and making healthier choices.  I have decided though to start adding some interval training to my running routine.  Basically, interval training is where you change speed and incline throughout your workout so your body gets to really work hard for a couple minutes and then cool down for a couple minutes.  I am going to supplement my Couch to 5K routine with this. 

I am really trying hard to make a lifestyle change, but my love of food is really making that difficult.  This past weekend, I spent Saturday evening with one of my best and oldest friends, Katie, and her family.  As it usually works at Katie's house, she cooked and I happily ate.  I officially found one of my new favorite things.  A recipe that combines all things wonderful in this world: crescent rolls, apples, butter, and Mt Dew.  Unfortunately for me, this wonderful new dessert that I love will have to be a special occasion treat or I will have to eat them when I can run 10 miles because let's just say they are not a low-cal treat.  Katie fixed me the Pioneer Woman's Apple Dumplings.  These things are so delicious and I can't wait for y'all to try them and fall in love just like I did.

The recipe goes something like this:
APPLE DUMPLINGS
2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
2 sticks butter, salted
2 large-ish Granny Smith apples
ground cinnamon
1.5 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz Mt Dew

Peel and core apples and cut into 8 slices.  Grease a 9x13 baking pan.  Roll each apple slice into an individual crescent roll and place in baking dish.  On stove top, melt 2 stick salted butter.  Add 1.5 cups sugar and stir lightly...you want your mixture still clumpy.  Add vanilla and barely stir again.  Pour over top of crescent rolled apples and sprinkle top with cinnamon.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until gold and bubbly (as Truvy would say). 

The best way to eat these delectable goodies is fresh out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  I am planning on making a couple pans for the boys down at the fire station tomorrow as I am out of school and getting off work early.  I thought maybe they could use a sweet pre-Easter treat!  I will post some pictures of the process tomorrow after they are done!

Until then, sweet eatin'!

The Recipe for Love

Tonight in my Communications class, we discussed the stages of relationships from initiation to decline.  At the end of class, our teacher proceeded to dole out our assignments.  As usual, we were given two or three assignments to be completed by next Wednesday, but this time, one in particular caught my attention.  Our professor asked us to write two recipes: one for during the intensification/stable stage of a relationship and one for the decline stage.  This got me thinking.  Now she really wants us to write a recipe for actual food, but I got to thinking about what it takes to make a relationship work and what makes a great relationship. 

I know some of you may be thinking, "Marissa, you've only been married six months," but I have a wonderful husband and I think we complement each other well.  As I was mulling this assignment over, I started thinking about how lucky I am to have the husband I have.  I mean, he is kind, caring, sweet, quirky, funny, smart, and my best friend.  What more could you ask for?  We both have our faults and neither one is perfect, but I couldn't live without him.  He is making my dreams come true by working sometimes four jobs so that I can work extremely part-time and go to school.  Never does he complain or hold it against me that he is doing all the work and he still manages to pitch in around the house and find ways to make me feel special. 

Right now, we are battling our way through working all the time, being in school, and trying to propel our debt snowball into taking out some major debts.  We don't always see as much of each other as we would like, but we make it work.  We get the most out of every minute.  We support each other and help each other with things that sometimes seem impossible.  So if you ask me what the recipe for great love is, I would say:
a dash of attraction
a heap of intimacy
a pinch of compassion and understanding
a cup of listening skills
a palm full of quirky
and another dash of sweetness

That, my friends, is the recipe for great love.  I pray that you all know this sometime in your life and if you have great love now, cherish it, maintain it, and never let it go!

A New Chicken Parmesan

On my new eating plan, I am monitoring my carbohydrate intake to a minimum.  So when I decided I wanted chicken parmesan for dinner, I needed another option for pasta.  While surfing Pinterest, a past-time I admit distracts me pretty often, I came upon a pin for how to cook spaghetti squash.  I had heard people talk about spaghetti squash as a substitute for pasta, but I had never tried it and thought, "Why not now?"

I combined two recipes to make my chicken parmesan tonight.  One was a baked option for the chicken and the other was for how to cook the spaghetti squash.  For this being my first time roasting and eating spaghetti squash, it wasn't half bad!  I had my hubby pick up a spaghetti squash from the store.  I sent Justin instructions on how to cook the squash and he did a great job!  He preheated the oven to 375 degrees, cut the squash in half length-wise, scooped out the seeds, and placed them insides down on a foil-lined baking sheet and baked for an hour.  After the squash was done roasting, we took it out of the oven and took a fork and pulled the strands apart.

We put some of our favorite spaghetti sauce on the "pasta" and then topped it with our chicken parmesan.  Sprinkle on a little grated parmesan on top and there you have a delicious, healthy meal for two!  I am definitely happy I tried this healthy alternative to chicken parmesan and I can't wait to try some more healthy recipes in my attempt to make a more healthy and physically fit me!

The good book says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body."

Firemist and Waffles

Oh what a difference a couple hours, a willing husband, and a gallon of paint can make for a kitchen!  But that's not where this weekend began.  My Mama spent the night with me on Friday night while my sweet husband was at work.  We decided to go grab some dinner after class at The Loop Pizza Grill and then we made the trek into Walmart for a movie to watch.  Not only did we come out with a new movie (Pitch Perfect...which was hilarious by the way), but we also got a waffle iron!  I was so excited to make waffles that I walked out without waffle mix...but there was no way we were going back in there!

While my mom was with me, I decided I wanted to paint my kitchen...red!  You see, our kitchen and eating area are really just one big room with only a bar to differentiate between the two.  I thought painting the eating area a different color would separate them and make them look like more individual spaces.  So on Saturday afternoon, Mama and I went to Lowes to pick up some paint swatches and start the decision making process.  I grabbed close to twenty swatches and brought them home to test them out and see which color tickled my fancy.  After much deliberation, I chose an Olympic paint color called Firemist.  I ran the idea past the ol' hubby and he agreed to help me if that's what I wanted...which is aways a good answer from him.

So this morning when my wonderful husband returned home from 48 straight hours of working, I got up and got busy making some waffles...yes, I went back to the store to get waffle mix!  Our waffles were delicious and the babies even had some too and loved them!  Then we showered up, got dressed, and headed out to get all the things we would need to complete our project.  We returned home and, paint brushes in hand, we got busy or as Justin said, "Let's get on a roll!"...hehe!

After a couple hours, we had the entire room taped off, edged out, and painted.  I must say, I am quite satisfied with the end results of our renovation. 

We let the babies in when we finished painting and they love it...especially Gracie!!