More Moose

12/14/08

We are experiencing the growing pains of having a puppy!  Thankfully Moose is having fewer accidents every day.  He and Gracie get along well most of the time.  



Sometimes they cuddle in bed.



He loves the food that we feed him.  He gets so excited that he can't stand!



Overall I think that he is enjoying life at the Blandford House!


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Thanksgiving

12/14/08

So I know it's late but we had a wonderful thanksgiving that I wanted to share.  For starters Currey's mom sent us flowers for our centerpiece.  They were pretty when we got them but as they opened they were amazing.  And they lasted over a week!  



I also got to use my china.  It is so special for so many reasons!  I love it because it is pink, because it was one of the first thing's I got with my new initial on it and I have such fond memories of the outpouring of love that surrounded us as we prepared for marriage.  I look for any excuse to use it.  There was lots of pink!


We had several friends come.  Victor, Ryan, Ryan's Fiance Kristine, Her Sister Ilene, and our friend Liz from small group.  Here's a shot of the whole group minus Currey.

It was such a fun meal to prepare.  We had a ham, crescent rolls, green bean bundles, cornbread stuffing, baked mac'n'cheese, and twice baked potatoes.  Liz made 2 great apple pies and Ilene made a pumpkin one as well.  I didn't get a picture of the food but this is the aftermath!  



It was a wonderful day with friends.  Although we missed spending the holiday with family we love that we are richly blessed with wonderful friendships here.  

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He Passed!!!

11/26/08

We got incredibly exciting news yesterday. Currey passed his comp exam which means that he will get his theology degree. It is a huge answer to prayer. I knew that he could do it but it is so nice to know that this obstacle is behind us.

Currey has made lots of sacrifices to get to this point. He has spent countless hours studying, has held a full time job with insane hours, has made sure to do things around the house, been a part of a weekly ministry and been a phenomenal husband. I'm amazed that he manages it all so well.

Currey, I am so incredibly proud of you! Your hard work has paid off and I could not be more proud. I look forward to see what else is in store for us.

7:50 AM | | 4 Comments  

Meet Moose

11/26/08

It has been a crazy few days at the Blandford house! Soon after we lost Bentley we knew that we needed to find a new friend for Gracie. She has been really crazy since then and we are AMAZED at how much better she was as soon as we put Moose in our car.

Of course we wanted to rescue again and we wanted another basset. Once we found a rescue we decided we wanted a male who was less than 3. We were given a few choices but after seeing pictures decided on Moose, a 6 month old basset. On Sunday we made a 5 hour trip to visit him. Gracie used to love riding in the back of the Element with Bentley but once he was gone she insisted on sitting on Currey or I. This is how she spent most of the trip.

We were very anxious as us getting Moose was dependent on a good visit with Gracie. She can be a little cranky sometimes so we were glad she was on her best behavior. She did eventually get quarantined in the back of the Element.

As soon as we saw Moose we fell in love. He is absolutely precious! He and Gracie played and then we singed the paperwork making him ours.

We then had a 5 hour trip home but since Gracie had a friend she was fine in the back. It was a welcomed treat! Moose felt right at home.

Of course we had to stop by Wet Nose to see Joe and get some chew toys as Moose loves to chew. He and Gracie continue to get along well and they love to cuddle. It's cute. So here are a few pictures of Moose. We are one happy family!

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Newest Staples

11/22/08


I've been promising recipes for some time so I decided to deliver!  These are two recipes that I had decided to try and they have become staples at our house.  

The first is zucchini ravioli.  It's so delicious and incredibly easy!  It's perfect for busy week nights.  We seriously eat it once a week.

Ingredients:
1 zucchini
1 package refrigerated ravioli 
fresh grated Parmesan

Cut the zucchini in half length wise and then cut thin slices.  (They should look like half moons)  Saute zucchini in butter and season with garlic salt and lemon pepper.  Cook the ravioli as package directs.  Drain pasta and toss with the zucchini.  Grate Parmesan over the top and toss again.   Delicious!

On our honeymoon we ate chocolate croissants at a wonderful french bakery most mornings for breakfast.  If you are ever in Santa Fe the bakery is worth a visit.  Although these are NOT comparable they are a yummy treat.

Chocolate "Croissants"
1 package pillsbury crescent rolls
a handful of chocolate chips

Roll out and separate rolls.  Put 10-12 chocolate chips on the bottom third of the roll.  Roll up and bake at 350 until golden brown.

With the busy holiday season fast approaching , easy recipes are even more useful!  Enjoy!
 

9:30 PM | | 0 Comments  

New Look

11/18/08


I was really tired of the old look of my blog so I changed it!  Since I haven't done a recipe in forever (I do have a couple to post!) I figured having a cooking back ground was silly.  Hope you enjoy!

If you'd like a new free template for your blog use the link at the left for LeeLou's blog to find one.  She has some precious ones!

10:09 AM | | 1 Comments  

Favorite Song

11/15/08


I first heard How he Loves Us on the Hillside video of Cardboard Testimonies.  If you haven't seen that video you can go here.  It's incredibly powerful and worth the time.

We have begun regularly singing it at church and it brings me to tears each time.  I continue to be blown away at the depth of the Lord's love for me.  There are details being worked out in Currey and I's life that are an unbelievable reminder of how precious we are to the Father.  There is a plan for us that is greater than anything we could ever imagine and we are in awe as we begin to see where we are headed.  We eagerly await the next phase of our journey once Currey is done with school.  He knows the desires of our hearts and He is showing us that the dreams He has given us will be fulfilled.  It is a time of great joy and anticipation.  We are blessed beyond measure and have been given more than we could deserve.  

The lyrics are great but you should you tube it.  I believe that music is incredibly powerful.

How He Loves Us

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And the heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets, 
When I think about, the way…

He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

9:27 PM | | 0 Comments  

Visitors From Texas

11/13/08

This post is a little overdue but I'm recovering from a stomach bug so better late than never.  

Last weekend Currey's sister Caley and her boyfriend John came to visit.  Their trip was a whirlwind as we tried to pack everything Chicago into 3 days but we loved every minute of it. 
We picked them up at the airport and headed straight to the city.  We had lunch at our favorite Chinese spot in our old neighborhood.  We headed downtown and went to Millennium Park and walked around seeing all the sites of the city.  And of course there was a little shopping as well.  We tried to do pizza that night but in the freezing weather an outdoor 2 hour wait was not possible so we headed to a local Italian place.  Ryan met us and after dinner we went to see Victor as well.  We headed home but on the way we picked up s'more stuff.  Two nights while they were here we made a fire and Caley and I made s'mores.  So fun!!!

Sunday we headed to church and then to one of our favorite lunch spots.  We took Caley and John to IKEA and we ended up spending about 2 hours there.  We loved every minute and got some really great stuff to decorate with  for Thanksgiving.  We then headed to small group which is always a treat.  
 
Monday we slept in and then headed to Lincoln Park Zoo.  It's a beautiful zoo where you get to get up close to the animals.  Best of all it's free!  This is John with a Tiger.  It was so cool to see all the animals!

We had lunch at Giordano's and enjoyed the pizza as always.  The leaves are turning colors and we enjoyed getting to see all the different shades.  It is such a beautiful time of year!

We finished the day with shopping and going to see Currey at SLAM which is always an adventure.  It was a great trip and we loved getting to spend time with them both.  As always, we loved the company and we always welcome visitors!

10:12 AM | | 0 Comments  

My Newest Addiction


11/7/08


I have loved coffee for as long as I can remember!  I loved drinking my parents coffee with lots of cream and sugar and I began frequenting Roasters in the 6th grade.  I still take credit for hooking lots of people on coffee and I continue to enjoy coffee with friends.  Whether doing homework at Roasters in high school, having "date night" at Starbucks with Celeste while at ACU or fellow shipping with friends here, my love of coffee continues.  


Currey working at Starbucks is a major perk!  I have tried tons of drinks, several unique creations made by creative baristas and I always have a favorite.  My newest favorite is a venti iced coffee with cream.  It's AMAZING!!!!  And it's cheaper than a fancy drink so I can have it more.  Yummy!!!  So whether you are getting your first snow this weekend or enjoying  living somewhere warmer in the world take some time to enjoy coffee with someone you love this weekend!



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9:05 PM | | 1 Comments  

Bedroom Make-over

11/3/08

 One of the more fun things that we did while my mom was here was add some life to the decor in our bedroom.  My mom has great ideas and we enjoy spending time looking for all the pieces to complete the project.  Last time she was here she helped with the rest of the house so it was fun to work on the room this time.  We knew it was drab but we didn't really realize until we were done.

Here is a before picture

And the after!  

We added great drapes, bedskirt and a floor lamp from Target.  We found the frames at Ikea that Currey did a great job putting together and covering with fabric.


Currey had another great idea as well which involved moving our computer from the bedroom to the living room.  We got a small desk to do beside the entertainment center and we love having the computer in here.

This left our big desk in the bedroom so that's where my sewing machine got to move to.  I love having all that space!

Thanks mom for all your help getting everything together!  We love, love, love the results.  Can't wait until your next trip!


8:20 AM | | 1 Comments  

The kindness of friends

11/1/08


Just wanted to say thank you for all the kind words sent our way through phone calls and emails.  Things are much better at the Blandford house.  We are still having a hard time dealing with the loss but it gets easier every day.  There are just so many reminders of him all around the house it is hard not to think about him every day.  Gracie is still having a hard time dealing with being the only dog so we will probably be getting another dog really soon.  She is very lonely and really needs a friend!  We appreciate all the kind words, sweet thoughts and prayers.  We are so grateful!  

5:13 PM | | 0 Comments  

The loss of our Beloved Bentley

10/27/08

Saturday was a very sad day at the Blandford House.  My mom was in town and we were headed to breakfast and a day of shopping.  We took the dogs out before we left and we could tell that Bentley was in pain.  He had been pretty whinny but that's normal and we thought nothing of it.  He could not get back into our building and when Currey went to pick him up Bentley cried in pain.

We rushed to the vet and by the time we were there his back legs were paralyzed.  We were told that he could still feel deep pain which meant there was some feeling so we rushed to the hospital with the plan of him having emergency back surgery.  Unfortunately by the time we got there he was no longer experiencing the deep pain.  Apparently one of his disks had carbonated and slipped into his spine causing the paralysis.  Our only options were an incredibly expensive surgery with small probability that he would be able to walk or putting him down.  We could not justify a surgery that would would lessen his quality of life just for our selfish desire to keep him with us.  We made the very difficult decision to put him down.

It's been a rough few days around here.  It still makes me cry as I write this 2 days later.  Even though he was a dog he was our first pet as a married couple.  He brought us so much joy and was a precious part of our family.  He presence is already greatly missed but we will treasure our sweet memories with him.

Napping with Daddy



Sunning with Sister





Our Sweet Baby

3:37 PM | | 1 Comments  

Our Precious Puppies

10/8/08

Last winter we got Bentley a fleece lined rain coat.  It's the only way we can get him to go out in the rain and due to the incredibly cold winters we felt it was a great investment.  Once we got Gracie we realized she would need one too!  Wet Nose just got their fall merchandise so we got Gracie a pink one.  They look so cute that I thought we needed pictures.  They were really uncooperative so here's the best I got.

10:28 PM | | 0 Comments  

Laundry Detergent

10/8/08

I had been wanting to make my own detergent for some time and I found this recipe on another blog.  It can actually be seen here.

So here's how it goes:

1 cup washing soda (I use Arm & Hammer) 

1/2 cup borax (I use 20 Mule Team) 

1 bar soap (I used Dove because I like the smell and knew we wouldn't have a weird reaction to it) 

Approximately 3 gallons water

You’ll also need a storage container.  We just used a large tupperware with a lid.  I set aside some kitchen utensils for this project including a wooden spoon, a grater and a measuring cup.

Begin by putting about four cups of water in a pot and bring it to a boil.  Reduce it down to a simmer.   


While it’s heating up, take a bar of soap and grate it into some sort of container.


After taking this picture we realized that grating it over the boiling water made it melt and then we couldn't grate it. When the water is boiling, start putting in the soap. Just do a little at a time, waiting until each batch is dissolved.  

Stir the soapy water with a spoon until all of the soap is dissolved. In the end, you’ll have some very bubbly water.

Next, get out your large container and add three gallons of warm tap water to it. To this bucket add a cup of the washing soda and the soap solution you made and stir. once that is dissolved add the Borax.

After stirring, you’ll have a container full of :


The color of the detergent will vary depending on the shade of soap that you use. The soap needs to sit for 24 hours before use, preferably covered.  The soap can turn out many different ways.  It might be firm, like Jello; it might be very watery; it might even be like liquid laundry detergent. Just stir it up a bit and it’s ready to be used.  Ours came out very watery but it works great!  I decided to wait until I used it to post about it but we can't tell a difference at all.  I'll keep posting about our adventures of going green.  

I promise that there are farmer's market recipes to come!

9:51 PM | | 0 Comments  

Getting Greener

10/6/08

It's been while since I posted. There are lots of posts I've been considering but I just haven't taken the time to do it. Life is crazy busy and will be for the next few weeks. I've had several posts in mind but I think this will be about our steps to go green.

For us, we have decided that supporting local businesses and farms is part of going green. We are also trying to make more things at home instead of buying process foods at the store. Honestly, I am loving every minute of it! We are shopping every week at the farmer's market for all of our produce. There is also a woman who has an olive stand and sells pita bread which I purchase to make homemade pita chips. They are AMAZING! Simply cut the bread into rectangular strips, brush each side with olive oil and then sprinkle with the seasoning you desire. My favorite thus far is fresh cracked black pepper and kosher salt. A small amount of pepper with garlic salt is also good. Be generous with the seasoning!

We are also making our own bread. I know this may launch us into the "weird" category but we spend a lot on bread each month so we started making our own. I like knowing what's going into the bread and we have enjoying trying several recipes. It's also about 1/4 of the cost per loaf so we are saving lots of money.

We had been talking to friends about this whole green thing and they mentioned that they made their own bread. We have 2 friends who have found great deals at garage sales or thrift stores so we began looking as well. We didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on something we wouldn't use. So one day in downtown Glen Ellyn we were in a consignment store. It was Labor Day so they were having a half price sale. We found one machine and were so excited but it didn't have an instruction manual which we knew we would need. Another shopper overheard us talking and began helping us look. We stumbled upon another machine with instructions. It was priced at $6 so we got it for $3 due to the sale. We figured that $3 was worth a try so we brought it home. We were pleasantly surprised that it actually works!



And here are the yummy results! I have enjoyed lots of baking and this Sunday alone I made pita chips, 3 dozen zucchini muffins and broccoli cheddar soup. I love being in my kitchen and making food that I feel is better for my family. Hopefully I'll post again this week about my homemade laundry detergent and some of the recipes I've been using with my fresh veggies. Yes I'm serious. We've made detergent! I'll post soon!

9:06 AM | | 1 Comments  

Wonderful Weekend

9/24/08

We had such a fun weekend just hanging out.  October is going to be a really crazy month for us so it was nice to spend some time relaxing.  Friday I only had to work a half day which was so nice.  I ran errands and did some shopping.  I also cleaned the house which is not the most glamorous activity but really needed to be done.

Saturday we got up and headed to the farmer's market.  I am loving all the fresh produce!  I will do a post soon with some of the recipes we have tried.  Devin and Andrea came over for breakfast and we had blueberry coffeecake with blueberries fresh from Michigan and Applewood Smoked Bacon that we got at the market as well.  Great food and great company.  A quick trip to  Wet Nose then Currey had to head back to work.  I went to the first birthday party of some friends from church and then went to babysit.  

Sunday we went to church and then to the grocery store.  We had a batch of homemade laundry detergent which I will also post about soon.  It was SO fun!  We are co-leading a small group at church which started this Sunday so we made lasagna for that.  It's a great group and we are really looking forward to our time together.  It was such a great weekend!  I was just not ready to head back to work!
 

9:12 AM | | 0 Comments  

The end of an era

9/17/08

Many people spend Labor day weekend having one last cookout, enjoying time with friends or traveling to see family.  This year we spent Labor day having the biggest clean out in Blandford family history.  

It all began with my white shelf.  Currey has hated this thing since he put it together.  I bought it my second year at ACU and Currey and Wes Jones put it together.  It was $20 at Wal-mart and not incredibly sturdy but it was great storage in our kitchen that year.  The following year I moved to a house and used it for books and all my frames and decor.  Somewhere in the move the knobs that hold the shelves in place went missing so we used wooden rods to stabilize the shelves.  


It then made the trek to Illinois where it had the same role at my new apartment.  By the time Currey and I got married and the shelf came to Moody it had seen MUCH better days.  The back was no longer attached but I could not part with this "piece" that I had for so long.  When we moved to Bridgeport Currey begged me to get rid of the nasty thing as I had more than gotten my money's worth.  But I saw it as extra storage and insisted it made another move.  When we left Bridgeport we got rid of our dresser (something that cost far more than my shelf!) and decided to get fabric boxes and use my shelf as a type of dresser.  This comforted my inner pack rat as keeping it for this long had finally served so purpose besides hold picture frames.   We made it over a year and I will admit that it was one of the worst ideas I ever had.  The boxes didn't fit well and it was a total hassle.  I took the Friday of the long weekend off and that morning I uttered words Currey thought he would never hear.  "We HAVE to get rid of that shelf!"  And those few words created the biggest mess of our married life.  

Getting rid of the shelf required that we get dressers.  But the dressers wouldn't fit where the shelf had been.  So since we were rearranging anyway why not move the bed, which required us to move the desk, which required us to move the bookshelves.   And the bookshelves were so full of books that we decided we needed to go through the books to see if there were any we could get rid of.  And now since we have dressers we can take some clothes out of the closet.  Shouldn't we go through our closets?  It's been awhile.  I could go on and on but I'm sure you get the idea.  And this was the end result!


It was a HUGE project that ate up most of our weekend but it feels so good to be cleaned out and much more organized.  I'd say that my $20 investment paid off over 6 years!


7:16 AM | | 1 Comments  

Trip to Austin a.k.a a REALLY long post!

9/14/08

My best friend from ACU got married in Austin last weekend.  It was an event that we would not have missed for the world!  Currey and I decided that since we were leaving town anyway that we should take a few days to enjoy the city, especially since we are thinking about moving down there.  So here are the details of our trip with a few pictures.

We got in late friday night and headed straight to bed as we were meeting my college roommate for breakfast the following morning.  She has recently moved to Austin and I had not seen her in almost 3 years.   We had a great breakfast at Guero's and then walked down congress to the capital.










We really enjoyed our time with her but had to head to Johnson City for the wedding.  We were running late as we got a little lost but this afforded me the chance to see Celeste before she walked down the aisle.  There are hardly words to describe my relationship with Celeste.  We met at the end of freshman year when I was her leader on a freshman retreat.  We ended up pledging the same club at ACU.  We wound up walking together during a fundraiser with club and our friendship blossomed from there.  She and Adolfo starting dating shortly after Currey and I did.  Since our boyfriends were both far away we shared many evenings together.  We loved date nights at Chicken Express, doing our Target browsing and calling our boyfriends from Starbucks routine or doing our grocery shopping together.   Since he was closer, Adolfo was able to visit more often than Currey.  They were always so sweet to include me in their weekends together.  I had several wonderful dinners cooked by Adolfo and they taught me how to play dominos.  My experience at ACU was enriched by my friendship with Celeste.   Aldolfo is equally precious and the perfect man for Celeste.  We were SO glad to celebrate their love and marriage with them.  The reception was fun and so them!  We enjoyed celebrating!


The reception site



The Mariachi




The only non blurry picture I got of them and yes I realize you can't see Adolfo



Celeste and I



Currey looking very GQ with his pocket square



After the reception Jeffrey came in from Waco to hang out with us.  We had not seen him since Christmas so it was a treat to see him.  I love that he and Currey are close and get along so well.  Jeffrey is still hillarious and we laughed the whole time he was with us!


Look at what Baylor has turned him into!


The boy's being resourceful as we did not have a bottle opener



The next day we got up got up and headed to Kerbey Lane for breakfast which was outstanding!



We spent the rest of the day shopping and hanging out around austin.  We then headed to dinner at Shady Grove.  Sarah Ruth joined us again and it was a great evening.  




We dropped Jeffrey back at his car and headed to church at Austin Stone.  It was such a refreshing experience.  The church is huge and meets in a high school.  As the preacher was speaking we were so encouraged by his heart for hurting people and the churches willingness to do something about it.  It was an outstanding message and we were filed with hope as we continue to contemplate a move to the Austin area.  From church we headed to the Johnson's in Wimberley. They are friends of my parents from church who graciously allowed us to stay at their house a couple of days.  They have a precious guest house that we got to use.






The next day we headed into Austin for a wonderful lunch at Rudy's.  Oh how we wish there was decent bar-b-que in Illinois.  


We then headed into Wimberley and did some shopping.  It was so much fun!  We then went back to the Johnson's.  One of the most fun things of the trip was that Janice taught me how to sew!  Currey just got me a sewing machine (that's another post!) which is very exciting, but I didn't know how to use it.  I want to start quilting and Janice is an amazing quilter who gave me lots of great tips and several supplies.  We worked on this:

And yes...I made that!  I am so excited that I was able to start a project and I'm already working on my next.  We enjoyed great conversation and wonderful food while with the Johnson's.  It was a much needed vacation and we loved every minute of it.  If you made it all the way through I'm impressed!  Sorry it was SO long!


8:18 AM | | 1 Comments  

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