I'm Back!

Hello all!  It has been quite some time since I've posted.  I got the opportunity to purchase a last-minute ticket to Hawaii to go there for ten days with my dad, his two brothers and their families!  

I got back late last Thursday just in time for a long, holiday weekend and a wedding to kick off the start of wedding hair season.  

Needless to say, I've been very busy!  I will share my Hawaiian experience with you once I get my pictures uploaded and organized.  As for now, I'm happy to be back to seeing this little man two days a week!  He got two teeth and learned how to crawl while I was gone!  

Hope you're having a fantastic Tuesday!

Make Today Great

I went to the doctor the other morning because I had a bad rash on my arms that was not going away (I found out I have seasonal allergies… yay). While I was sitting in the quiet lobby waiting for a nurse to call my name, I couldn't help but think to myself what a dreary day it was as rain continued to pour down outside.  It was one of those days where you just can't help but feel unmotivated to do anything because of the weather. As I continued to watch the rain collect in a large puddle on the sidewalk, the squeaking of wheels along the floor brought me back to the lobby of the doctors office. An elderly man pushing a beverage cart asked me if I would like any coffee, tea, hot chocolate, lemonade, or water to drink.  I replied with, "no, I have a water, but thank you very much!" Then I flashed him a smile thinking to myself what a cute old man he was. The man smiled back and said, "Okay, make today great!" Then he winked at me and wheeled his squeaky cart along.

After my encounter with the charming elderly man that morning his words "make today great" kept echoing through my head. I decided to use his words as motivation for my day. I accomplished my whole list of things to do for that day, plus some other things that I didn't expect to get done until at least a few days later. I found that with that little bit of encouragement that the elderly man offered me (probably unknowingly) I was able to accomplish a whole lot more than I would have without hearing those words. At the end of the day I felt very accomplished, but most of all, I felt encouraged. This made me realize just how important encouragement is to others, and how much of a difference it can make in people's lives. 

Encouragement…

• keeps us going
• makes us better
• gives us hope
• turns lives around
• empowers teams
• leads to great things

We can lift people up or we can take people down. The world is starving for appreciation. It is hungry for compliments. But somebody must start the ball rolling by speaking first and saying a nice thing to his companion, friend, co-worker, stranger, etc. Benjamin Franklin says, "As we must account for every idle word - so we must account for every idle silence." Can you imagine how many lives would be turned around if everyone complimented at least one person a day? My challenge to everyone is to do just that! Give someone you see tomorrow a compliment.  Make it a daily ritual. Wake up every morning and ask yourself, "Who can I compliment today and how can I make today great?" I would love to hear your stories and ways you have felt encouraged, or ways you have encouraged others. 

"God's love for us gives us the reason to encourage others. 

God's love in us gives us the ability to encourage others. 

God's love through us gives us the way to encourage others."

 - John C. Maxwell

A date, 100 Degrees, and Homemade Wild Rice Soup

On Friday night Andrew and I decided to go on a spontaneous date night.  We started the evening by eating out at a restaurant that neither of us had ever been to: Burger Jones.  It was fantastic!  The atmosphere of the restaurant was fun and the burgers were the best burgers we have ever eaten.  Andrew was already planning our next dine-out experience there after just one bite of his burger. Along with their excellent burgers their fries were delicious, and I got a yummy twix shake to compliment my burger and fries. I do not have one complaint about our experience. Check out Burger Jones here.

My meal I ate at Burger Jones

We finished the evening by attending the play Music Man put on by the Calvin Christian middle schoolers Andrew is a long-term sub for. It was fantastic! The students did an excellent job singing and acting. When the play was over we were greeted by all of Andrew's students. It was fun to meet them all and hear their stories about Andrew.

On Saturday, Andrew started running a 100 degree fever after working outside in the cold and rain for five hours that morning washing decks. That called for a pretty low-key rest of the weekend for us and chance for me to take care of my love. I'd been wanting to try this recipe for homemade wild rice soup, but hadn't had a chance. Well, the rainy weather and my sick husband gave my the perfect opportunity to make the soup. It's an easy recipe and the soup cooks in your slow cooker throughout the day. I thought it turned out pretty well. There are just a few adjustments I'll try next time around. 

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion chopped (1/2 cup)

2 medium stalks celery, diced (1 cup)

2 medium carrots, diced (1 cup)

1 cup diced smoked turkey or chicken (8 ounces)

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice

1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves (I didn't use these, but I think I will next time)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 1/2 cups chicken broth (I only used 3 1/2 cups, next time I will use 4 1/2)

1 can (12oz) evaporated fat-free milk

1/3 cup all-purpose flour (Next time I will start with 1/4 cup of flour and add more if it needs it)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Directions:

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion in oil about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Place onion, celery, carrots, turkey/chicken, wild rice, tarragon and pepper in a slow cooker. Pour the broth over the top of ingredients. Cover and cook on a low heat setting 6-8 hours or until wild rice and vegetables are tender. (I cooked mine for 5 1/2 hours on a high temp setting and it was well done. Next time I will cook on a high temp setting for 4 hours) Stir in peas the last 15 minutes of cooking. Mix the evaporated milk and flour; stir into soup. Cover and cook about 20 more minutes or until the soup thickens. (Next time I will add a few more spices to give it a little more flavor. Also, I used smoked turkey, but I might try it with some smoked chicken next time)

Hope your weekend was restful and relaxing!

Here I go...

I've decided to try blogging.  I've always wanted to start a blog and my husband has always encouraged me to since I spend so much time reading them, but I always wondered what I would write about.  I have finally decided to just take the plunge and start one.  I'm not sure how diligent I will be at posting, but that's ok since I'm doing this mostly for my own enjoyment.  I still have a lot to figure out with the layouts, fonts, links, and making this blog my own, but this will do for now.  Please feel free to give me any tips and/or advice.  For now I will tell you a little about myself:

I am a follower of Jesus Christ my personal Savior.

I am a wife of one year and four months to a very handsome man. 

I have a cute kitty named Darla who is more dog than she is cat.

I am a cosmetologist and I love doing "the works."  My favorite, if I had to choose, would be up-do's for special events such as prom, weddings, etc.

I am a part-time nanny to a very sweet, little seven month old boy named Leo.

I love creating and crafting.  My latest creations have been many hair pieces preparing for wedding hair season.  This is one of my favorites I've made so far this year.

My husband and I manage our apartment building we live in.  There are 26 units and we are responsible for turnovers, showings, keeping the building clean, and light maintenance.

There's a little peek into my life and what I do.  Hopefully I'll have more to say soon!