tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14266845691915608472024-03-04T22:44:31.514-08:00The Jackson "5"Two Adults + Three Kiddos= Blogging Therapy.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.comBlogger285125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-52714379516403070622013-09-20T14:23:00.003-07:002013-09-20T14:34:04.099-07:00Wisdom from a Homeless Man...<div>
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(photo: <a href="http://fpcyorktown.org/">fpcyorktown.org</a>)</div>
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Today I was super busy. I had children to school, errands to run and a house to clean, all before Emerie's nap time. I was in auto-pilot mode so we could stay on task, which meant during errands I was buzzing my kids around the store in the cart, paying no mind to others around me.<br />
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This selfish mentality followed me into the parking lot where I hurriedly ushered my kids into the car and put the shopping bags in the back. As I began to get into the driver's seat, I looked up and noticed a disheveled man approaching me. While I did not know him personally, I knew who he was. He was a homeless man. A homeless man I didn't have time to entertain. A man who was going to interrupt my schedule. A man who would ask me for something. As he approached he began speaking in a very humble manner, "Excuse me miss. I don't want to bother you, I know you are busy and I'm sorry to interfere, but I haven't had anything to eat in two days." I gave him my false look of empathy and said, "I'm sorry but I don't have any cash." I wish that were true. I had a ten dollar bill sitting idly at the bottom of my purse. I lied. I didn't want to give it to him in case I needed it later. He said, "Oh, okay. Thank you anyway!" and began walking away.<br />
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I was struck immediately by a sense of guilt. Not only for lying, but suddenly I realized that the man never asked for money. What he said was, "I haven't had anything to eat in two days." I looked over at the grocery bag in the passenger seat. A bag that contained two unopened bags of pretzels. One for us, and one for him. Before I could speak, Ethan piped up from the backseat, "Mama! Let's give him one of our bags of pretzels." I hurriedly started my car to catch up with him as he was nowhere in sight. I drove up and down the parking lot aisles as the two big kids and I kept our eyes peeled for him. Ethan exclaimed, "There he is mom! Hurry!" <br />
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I drove up to him and he looked at me. He had a half-eaten hostess chocolate cupcake in his hand and was polishing off the last bit as I rolled down my window. I held out the bag of pretzels to him and said, "I have a bag of pretzels...they're yours if you want them." He smiled at me and shook his head, "That's ok. That guy over there gave me one of his cupcakes." I looked where he was pointing and sure enough there was a man sitting in his truck holding the other cupcake. The gift giver smiled at me, held up his cupcake and nodded. I looked back at the homeless man and insisted, "Yes, but you don't know when your next meal is, you can have these and save them for later." He smiled again and said, "That's okay, I don't need them. Someone will take care of me." Then he nodded at the cars piling up behind me in the parking lot and said, "You're holding up traffic." I pulled the pretzels back into the car, smiled and drove away. My first thought was, "Geez you're dumb. I'm giving you a bag of pretzels for FREE and you're turning me down." Then it became clear to me. And I began to cry. The irony was not lost on me.<br />
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This homeless man was no dummy. He was wise. He trusted that he would be provided for. He trusted that his hunger would be met with food, though he didn't know when. He didn't need to store up anything for later. There would be a gift giver who would make a sacrifice and would care for him. It was as if the Holy Spirit removed my blinders of selfishness and scripture began running through my mind:<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Matthew 6:25-34</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Matt-6-25">“Therefore I tell you, do not worry<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23308B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></span> about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?<b> </b></span><span class="text Matt-6-26" id="en-NIV-23309">Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23309C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)"></span> Are you not much more valuable than they?<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23309D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)"></span></span> <span class="text Matt-6-27" id="en-NIV-23310">Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23310E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Matt-6-28" id="en-NIV-23311"><span class="versenum" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;"> </span>“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.</span> <span class="text Matt-6-29" id="en-NIV-23312">Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23312F" title="See cross-reference F">F</a>)"></span> was dressed like one of these.</span> <span class="text Matt-6-30" id="en-NIV-23313">If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23313G" title="See cross-reference G">G</a>)"></span></span> <span class="text Matt-6-31" id="en-NIV-23314">So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’<b> </b></span><span class="text Matt-6-32" id="en-NIV-23315">For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23315H" title="See cross-reference H">H</a>)"></span></span> <span class="text Matt-6-33" id="en-NIV-23316">But seek first his kingdom<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23316I" title="See cross-reference I">I</a>)"></span> and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23316J" title="See cross-reference J">J</a>)"></span></span> <span class="text Matt-6-34" id="en-NIV-23317">Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Matt-6-34">Then I immediately thought of the children of Israel as they wandered through the wilderness for 40 years. When the Lord provided manna from Heaven he gave them the warning to only gather what they needed for each day. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">If they attempted to store any food for the next day, in the morning they woke to rotten, stinky, bug-infested food. The Lord, in His wisdom and mercy was teaching them dependence on Himself. How would the nations around them see God as a perfect, holy provider and come to Him, if the children of Israel only depended on themselves? He wouldn't get the glory.</span></div>
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The lesson for me was two-fold: be a giver, and be dependent. Give as the Lord has so graciously blessed me, and be dependent knowing that the great gift-giver who sacrificially gave His life will meet my needs (ie. give up the stinking $10 if the Lord is asking for it...it's not mine anyway!). In being a gift giver, and being dependent, God gets the glory. I am so struck by this situation that I can't stop thinking about it. Lesson learned, Lord. </div>
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This homeless man got it. Or was he even a homeless man? Did I fail at entertaining an angel? (Hebrews 13:2 "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so, some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.")</div>
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Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-48712532345553159232013-05-13T12:27:00.001-07:002013-05-13T12:27:13.962-07:00Family Photo Outtakes...<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Yesterday I rounded up the littles and begged my hubby to put down the garden trowel so we could capture a family photo. We smoothed our hair, plastered on smiles and came up with one lovely gem. But, what good are family photos without showing you the outtakes. I'm all about keeping it real around here...</b></div>
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<b>Ethan: "Mom look, I'm flying with my elbows!" Me: "Dude, put your elbows down! Everybody smile big! Seriously, Ethan put your elbows d..."</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhri853UqnYgzO1CoytKipOC3MH6JkqfnA2uyCncQ6tNvxRS6Rn-WhLzPC2_CMwm_7FDdJ4ZjypNNebbuI_-N7UDM0P6A5YWRRtP2F0-HN6DwuSV_iOinq9n4ZOvqSKvNPl8NyvLByskKI/s1600/outtakes_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhri853UqnYgzO1CoytKipOC3MH6JkqfnA2uyCncQ6tNvxRS6Rn-WhLzPC2_CMwm_7FDdJ4ZjypNNebbuI_-N7UDM0P6A5YWRRtP2F0-HN6DwuSV_iOinq9n4ZOvqSKvNPl8NyvLByskKI/s400/outtakes_4.jpg" width="387" /></a></div>
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<b>"Oh, hey. This one isn't too bad...wait, the baby's eyes are closed. Okay guys one more time!"</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUvZH9G7sVYVNALpTDLfgEzyt7oxCMI6_jOOhGjpFNG8ZGk20czMBM7sgH1HvxA-dkawOSZ1ZxFlhabS1zl2b8jiSqjfpXiyhgFAcGY9WUyAfKB9-xKXA-f2eAhv65w6YdN5Fa74zbLk/s1600/outtakes_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUvZH9G7sVYVNALpTDLfgEzyt7oxCMI6_jOOhGjpFNG8ZGk20czMBM7sgH1HvxA-dkawOSZ1ZxFlhabS1zl2b8jiSqjfpXiyhgFAcGY9WUyAfKB9-xKXA-f2eAhv65w6YdN5Fa74zbLk/s400/outtakes_3.jpg" width="392" /></a></div>
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<b>Ethan: "Ummm guys...Emerie's pulling my hair. Oh wow, this really hurts!"</b></div>
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<b>"Wait...everyone come back we're not done yet! Eva, stop jumping! Guys just one more pic..."</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLryBmGTc3x_IbpVjGkmRtZYzXi62DrM50QVpvknq1_mGEJdGmcBjEC5_0CVXZqrdtrJ7z9khi8WlYEGPe3eyq6HETh7EpS_jZnVwan0LIKm_789i98VdoUJCc1UQ9ClOO8pnedJCA1sM/s1600/family+outtakes_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLryBmGTc3x_IbpVjGkmRtZYzXi62DrM50QVpvknq1_mGEJdGmcBjEC5_0CVXZqrdtrJ7z9khi8WlYEGPe3eyq6HETh7EpS_jZnVwan0LIKm_789i98VdoUJCc1UQ9ClOO8pnedJCA1sM/s400/family+outtakes_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>"Okay guys...suckers for everyone if we can make this our last one!!!"</b></div>
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<b>Aaaaaaaaaaaaand that's a wrap...</b></div>
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<b>A friend of mine saw this photo on Facebook and commented that it was a "sweet family photo." I had to laugh, knowing all it took to capture one good shot. Can you imagine the film we save by using digital cameras these days?</b></div>
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Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-35196859754858409152013-05-11T13:46:00.000-07:002013-05-11T13:46:38.096-07:00Waking Up A Mom...<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>"(24/7) Once you sign on to be a mother, that's the only shift they offer."</b></div>
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<b>Jodi Picoult, <i>My Sister's Keeper</i></b></div>
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<b>For me, the best part of waking up has zero to do with Folgers in my cup...</b></div>
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<b>I will never forget the very first morning I woke up as a mom. It was super-early while still in the hospital and I could hear the sound of the nurse pushing the little rolling crib holding our newborn son down the hall. The door opened and the light from the hallway flooded into the dark room. This scenario happened with our daughters as well, and it will always be something that I remember and cherish as a new mom...those tiny swaddled bundles being brought to me to care for in the wee hours of the morning. The chaos of the delivery the day before had worn off, and I officially felt like a mom to the little baby in my arms. I love those precious times with those sleepy little faces.</b></div>
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<b>Our little Jackson's are still early risers. Every morning they pile into our bed, well before 7 am. There is lots of blanket tugging, squirming, tossing and turning and knees and elbows to the back...but, there are also sweet whispers of, "I love you," kisses to the forehead and soft talk of what's in store for the day. As tired as I am and as much as I am looking forward to a bit of caffeine, I will always love starting my day this way. </b></div>
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Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-76526301530037019222013-04-27T21:08:00.000-07:002013-04-27T21:08:09.300-07:00Knocking Down Cobwebs....<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Okay...it's been five months since my last post...<span style="font-size: x-large;">five months!</span> I admit, this unintended hiatus has gotten a little out of hand. Somewhere between giving birth and sleepless nights, posting on the blog got neglected. Not only do I have to knock down a few cobwebs and do a bit of dusting and decluttering of the ol' blog, but I practically have to reintroduce myself. So, I'm taking a cue from <a href="http://haverleecolyer.blogspot.com/2013/04/everything-you-ever-need-to-know-about.html">this girl</a> and <a href="http://www.friedkristy.com/2013/04/more-than-you-wanted-to-know-about-me.html">this girl</a> and telling you more than you ever wanted to know about me. A post like this sort of writes itself, which is awesome since my creativity is a bit zapped right now. I guess we can just call this a TMI fest...so here ya go!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I love food and am a self-professed food snob. I am pretty adventurous and really love ethnic food. I am not a fan of chain restaurants and usually seek out local places in any city. Brent and I have been known to plan entire vacations around the restaurants we want to visit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I loved being pregnant all three times. Seriously, love. the. belly. If I could go back and get a different degree, I would be a labor and delivery nurse or an ultrasound technician. I love listening to other people's birth stories and just love the whole pregnancy process so much.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8F64gJ9Go7_Vqlmr0YWUBBOp91VF6INbb8NLimsyf8XS_zsx_1Mb565rtG3pXQD8Yv91fZF38MU7CNu6xG_1pyf99NyBF6OQEW7YTH5PKLKAnZF255x4ml06saQ7ciTnMjqWzEMqYKQ/s1600/pregnancy+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8F64gJ9Go7_Vqlmr0YWUBBOp91VF6INbb8NLimsyf8XS_zsx_1Mb565rtG3pXQD8Yv91fZF38MU7CNu6xG_1pyf99NyBF6OQEW7YTH5PKLKAnZF255x4ml06saQ7ciTnMjqWzEMqYKQ/s640/pregnancy+collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(preggo pics from left to right: Ethan, Eva, Emerie)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I have always been an early riser but would not consider myself a morning person at all. I usually don't sleep past 7:00--not taking into account the early wake-up call from the kiddos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I hate going to bed with a messy kitchen...and whenever I do, it makes me grumpy to see a mess that I have to clean first thing in the morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I consider myself a good cook, but I make crappy pancakes. I cannot for the life of me get it right. Brent however makes amazing pancakes and is the Saturday morning pancake maker.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*My mama intuition stinks. We never found out the gender of our kiddos, but I guessed wrong all three times. Even when the old wives tales proved to be a good fit, I still stuck to my (incredibly wrong) guns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I (we) named my kids all 'E' names but it wasn't on purpose. The names just stuck. Eva was supposed to be Avery, but the name just didn't sit well. Emerie would have broken the mold and been 'Miles' had she been a boy. We affectionately refer to our brood as the 'Trifecta' or 'E to the third power'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I can't handle the smell, taste or texture of eggs. They make me gag. Eggs and I will never be friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I always wear either leggings or sweat pants to bed year round because I don't like the feeling of my legs rubbing together in my sleep.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I don't like chick flicks...I'm more of an action/adventure/comedy gal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I love reading, but I totally cheated and did the cliff's notes version of most of the required reading in all of my literature classes during college.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I've never had a cavity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*As a kid, I was an extra on a dumb Steven King movie called, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102960/">"Sometimes They Come Back."</a> Seriously, a horrible movie. More cheesy than scary. My sisters and I were in a scene set up as a hometown parade/festival.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I had to wear glasses beginning in second grade until three years ago when my optometrist said I shouldn't be wearing glasses at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I have been asked by strangers (more times than I can count) if we've met before or am told by others that I look familiar or look like someone they know. Maybe this happens to lots of people, but it seems to happen to me all the time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I always wash my hands and make my kids wash theirs when we get home from church or public places...I am a moderate germaphobe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I do not like alcohol of any kind...it just tastes gross to me. If I have to acquire a taste for it, then it isn't worth the calories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*My favorite drink is a non-fat chai with vanilla. Brent makes an excellent true Indian chai that I can never say no to.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I'm afraid of heights. Like absurdly afraid. I have tried several times to overcome my fear, but once I'm at the top, I freeze and it takes me forever to get back down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I have this weird fear of knocking out my two front teeth. I once hit them on a slide as a kid and since then, if I trip or slip and fall, I will sacrifice any body part to save my teeth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I love to travel, but really hate to fly (that's probably a 'duh' since I'm afraid of heights). I can't relax on a plane and don't feel completely at ease until I've landed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I am really outgoing and make friends in the weirdest places...like on vacation. It always shocks me a little by the depth of what acquaintances are willing to tell me (though, I really enjoy listening to others). I guess I have a trust-me-with-your-life-story kind of face.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*Brent and I have known each other since the fourth grade. We had huge crushes on each other in middle school but never dated. That means we've known each other for 24 years, been together for 14 and married for nearly 12. I've always thought he was super-attractive, but I think he gets hotter with age.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I don't like regular jelly beans, but my favorite candy is Jelly Bellies. I even have a Jelly Belly dispenser on my desk at work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*For the better part of the week I am a vegetarian, but when the weekend comes I give myself the freedom to eat meat. I do not champion a vegetarian lifestyle because of morals and ethics...no, my reasons are pretty shallow. I do it because it's cost effective.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*When I was pregnant with Emerie all I wanted was meat...which is why 'Meatless Monday' posts were shelved for nine months. I felt like a hypocrite posting meatless recipes while regularly devouring a juicy burger in secret.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I don't like messes or clutter. I have a hard time functioning when there is chaos...but with three kids, that means I'm having to learn to both relax a little AND task the kids to pick up their own stuff. It's GLORIOUS (the kids picking up, not living with clutter).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*I hate doing laundry, it will always be last on my long list of things to do. Seems a bit out of place considering the above confession.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All right...now it's <span style="font-size: large;">your</span> turn! Tell me all about you!</span></div>
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Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-24887538597764632792012-11-20T12:10:00.003-08:002012-11-20T12:10:57.167-08:00Introducing...We would like to introduce you to the newest Jackson 5 member, <b><span style="font-size: large;">Emerie Anne Jackson.</span> </b>Our sweet second little miss entered this world weighing 6lb. 10oz. and 17 1/4 in long. Hearing her loud screams echo off the walls of the stark O.R. walls (she was breech and a scheduled c-section...very interesting experience) was music to our ears.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHfEkS5gCU-_dwY4Z1NcX_u6odofzEZ9YOMzWEeFpXyQNJCokMy6W2sKsx72MZkJnsG3DdUDaF8PQrOEL2M5ndLVuVTs6IURnvkWbrfVQI19ueGWB6c78ns7B8VK3uT4bUVxCnqsH-Zs/s1600/emerie+rings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHfEkS5gCU-_dwY4Z1NcX_u6odofzEZ9YOMzWEeFpXyQNJCokMy6W2sKsx72MZkJnsG3DdUDaF8PQrOEL2M5ndLVuVTs6IURnvkWbrfVQI19ueGWB6c78ns7B8VK3uT4bUVxCnqsH-Zs/s400/emerie+rings.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Emerie is such a miracle and her safe arrival is an answer to many fervent prayers. At 12 weeks of pregnancy, we thought we may lose her due to a hemorrhage that developed. We were even told by one doctor during my pregnancy that we should feel fortunate to have the two children we already had, and that we could always, "try again" if we lost this baby. There was nothing I nor the doctors could do in order to create favorable circumstances for Emerie's survival. There were no procedures they could perform or medications to change things. Emerie is here, like any of us, purely by the hand of a <span style="font-size: large;">gracious, loving and sovereign Heavenly Father. </span><br />
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Those cheeks get my kisses all day long...</div>
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We are so grateful to have Emerie in our family. Ethan and Eva simply love her to pieces, and our family feels so complete with her here. <br />
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By the way...The pictures were taken by my good friend Nicole Young and her business partner/mom Deb Blackman from <a href="http://www.urbanwingsart.com/">Urbanwings Artography</a>. If you are in the Des Moines area, get in touch with them. We use them for all of our family photos, and they are simply amazing at what they do! Check out their website <a href="http://www.urbanwingsart.com/">www.urbanwingsart.com </a> or like them on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Wings-Artography/140439802641928">facebook</a>!<br />
<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-54761644599755403742012-10-05T14:13:00.000-07:002012-10-05T14:17:49.624-07:00What To Do When Your Baby Is Breech and Other Crazy Pregnant Ramblings...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Week 33 and desperate to try anything that will turn a breech babe.</td></tr>
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What does a bag of peas, stack of pillows, heating pad, flash light, classical music and the webster method all have in common? They are all supposed ways of turning a breech baby. Yep. Baby J prefers to march to the beat of a different drum and has decided to settle into breech position. Desperate times call for desperate measures and I've got six weeks to try to convince baby J that head down is best for all involved.<br />
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My midwives gave me a detailed sheet of exercises and tricks to try at home, some of which include the above items I mentioned. I sort of laughed off all the techniques until I got visions of c-section recovery in my head and decided the sheet was worth a shot.<br />
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First I tried stacking pillows under my bum until my hips were so high in the air above my head that my face began turning red. I managed to stay in that position eight of the recommended ten minutes until the pounding in my head and the kicking baby convinced me to give it up. I rolled myself from my perch and decided I'd try again the following day.<br />
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The next day, I reread the sheet of to-do's and decided maybe I should couple high-hips with some of the other techniques for a sort of trifecta the baby couldn't win against. Once again, I propped my hips up on pillows, face turning beet red, with a bag of frozen peas at the top of my abdomen and a flashlight pointed just above my hips directly on my belly. According to the sheet, the baby should try to escape from the cold and head into the light. While in this compromising position, my husband walked in the room and gave me the, lady-are-you-crazy-look. Not really wanting to explain my loss of dignity, I handed him the sheet and said, "Here, it's on this sheet of paper. Just read it." He read it, shook his head and said, "Let me know how that works out for ya." Then left the room. This position lasted 10 minutes with no turned baby . I came to the conclusion that someone came up with these loony positions just to see if some crazy, desperate pregnant lady would give it a try. Not wanting to disappoint, I became the crazy, desperate pregnant lady.<br />
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The following day, I decided to try the last position on the sheet. It was a variation of the pillows under the hips position, except the desperate pregnant lady is to lean an ironing board against a couch creating an angled plane. Next, said lady is to lie down on the board with head pointed toward the floor, holding the position for 15 minutes. This time, I decided I would try it when I was alone. My pride simply couldn't handle the questions from the kiddos and head shakes from my hubby. I leaned the ironing board on the couch, then I sort of half-shimmied up the board until my body was at a complete angle with the top of my head resting on the floor, a bag of frozen peas on the top of my abdomen above the baby's head, and a heating pad at the bottom of my abdomen. Supposedly, the baby is to make like a bird and head south away from the cold and toward warmer weather. Under my breath I said, "Lord please let this work." Then I talked to the baby, pleading with him/her to get in correct position. This position lasted all of five of the recommended 15 minutes, at which point I began getting indigestion coupled with my beet-red face and the sensation that passing out was imminent. So, I rolled my pregnant self off the board and threw away the sheet of paper that stripped me of my dignity. Stupid paper.<br />
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Lastly, I decided I would probably be better off going to the chiropractor to see what she could accomplish. I had heard of the <a href="http://icpa4kids.org/Wellness-Articles/the-webster-technique-a-technique-for-pregnant-women.html">Webster Technique</a> and figured it couldn't hurt to give it a shot. So after two days and two adjustments, I'm still not sure if the baby is turned, but I feel incredible (there may have been a change of position as of last night. I think it's possible that I'm feeling the baby's bottom up top now) . She has loosened up some ligaments that I had no idea were tight. I only wish I had gone to her sooner. If this doesn't work there's always <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15846688">moxibustion</a>. I can just have Brent burn incense next to my pinkie toe, while I'm upside down with peas, heating pad and flash light balanced on my protruding abdomen, all while listening to Beethoven. What's there to lose?<br />
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<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-24978138982136818852012-07-30T12:24:00.001-07:002012-07-30T12:24:35.886-07:00It's Monday and I Made Food...<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's Monday, I made food...that just happened to be meatless. I'm pretty sure that with this pregnancy Brent was certain my cooking days went out the window along with the mopping and vacuuming. But, the boy was wrong (mostly).</div>
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Lately, I have wanted comfort food. But, when I think of comfort food, it usually means I'm heating up my house by turning on the oven. Uh, no thank you. This summer heat is oven enough for me thankyouverymuch.</div>
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Anyway, the other day in my attempt to satisfy my comfort food longings, I decided I'd give homemade mac n' cheese a try. There is a restaurant in Iowa (Atlas in Iowa City) that has the best grown-up mac'n cheese e.v.e.r. But, It's like over an hour away, so I decided to try to replicate it. My favorite part about their mac is the roasted tomato compote they pile in the middle of the creamy pasta dish. Oh my goodness, it's amazing and compliments the rich cheesy sauce perfectly!</div>
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While I'd go back to Atlas in a heartbeat, I think our attempt turned out pretty awesome! It was so creamy and totally hit the spot! I do have a few particulars when it comes to the cheese:</div>
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1. It has to be freshly grated. I don't like pre-packaged shredded cheese because of that powdery stuff they put in there to keep the cheese from sticking together...it grosses me out.</div>
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2. No stringy, oily mess.</div>
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3. Use at least two complimenting kinds of cheese for a richer flavor.</div>
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Other than that, I'm easy to please! I should note, that though this dish is meatless, it is definitely NOT low-cal. It's for sure a splurge.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Gourmet Mac 'n Cheese with Roasted Tomato Compote</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWI_L14f7olCC_aRLtmMcGb7G0HFqSAw3Ikp07e5N4zEz2b40BNY_VZRfa3ckIApUW_UuDSo5UdqjWhY0ln23xuQcBFzgMspe8PJfp-pCWtwK1_rNP9sgANgizcjT8cyYzAcuQ1IiiFs/s1600/pics+039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWI_L14f7olCC_aRLtmMcGb7G0HFqSAw3Ikp07e5N4zEz2b40BNY_VZRfa3ckIApUW_UuDSo5UdqjWhY0ln23xuQcBFzgMspe8PJfp-pCWtwK1_rNP9sgANgizcjT8cyYzAcuQ1IiiFs/s640/pics+039.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pasta and Sauce Ingredients:</span></div>
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12 oz. whole wheat elbow pasta (I used whole wheat penne because that's what I had)</div>
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2 Tbsp. butter</div>
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1/4 C. flour</div>
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1/4 minced onion</div>
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1 1/2 C. milk (I used skim )</div>
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1 C. chicken broth (vegetable broth works great!)</div>
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8 oz. shredded cheese (I used mild cheddar and Monterrey jack. Gruyere or Fontina would be awesome!)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Toasted Breadcrumb Topping:</span></div>
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1/4 breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat bread I had on hand that I buzzed in the food processor)</div>
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2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese</div>
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1 Tbsp. (or less) melted butter</div>
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dash of garlic powder</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Roasted Tomato Compote:</span></div>
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1 can fire roasted tomatoes (I used Hunts brand)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Directions:</span></div>
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Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until slightly tender. Don't overcook or it will be soggy in the cheese sauce. </div>
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While the pasta is cooking, pour the can of roasted tomatoes into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, slightly mashing the tomatoes as it cooks and the liquid reduces (about 10-15 minutes). You want the tomatoes to be cooked down and slightly thickened.</div>
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In a small skillet, melt the butter for the breadcrumb topping. Add the breadcrumbs and cook on low until slightly toasted. Remove breadcrumbs to a dish to cool slightly before tossing with Parmesan and garlic powder. Set aside.</div>
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In a large heavy skillet, melt the butters. Saute the onion in the butter until softened. Add flour and cook for about a minute until the flour is combined and golden. Slowly add one cup of milk stirring until the sauce starts to thicken. Next add the chicken broth, again, stirring and cooking until it becomes slightly thickened. If the sauce mixture is getting too thick you can add the remaining 1/2 C. of milk, although I have not needed it in the past. You want the sauce to be creamy, but not too thick or too runny. </div>
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Once the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and stir in the cheeses until completely melted. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the macaroni, and pour it into a baking dish. Top macaroni and cheese with breadcrumbs (at this point, you can broil it in the oven to make it even more browned if you wish). </div>
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Top individual servings with roasted tomato compote.</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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<br /></div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-76816128796299367112012-07-14T11:11:00.000-07:002012-07-14T11:11:19.763-07:00bump.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess now that I'm 22 weeks, I should post the bump in all its glory.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ta. Da.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Emeril would say, "BAM!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The little miss rubs my belly all the time, then wrinkles up her nose, pokes my belly button and asks, "Why you belly so BIG?" I</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">t's not the entire sleeve of peanut butter sandwich girl scout cookies I polished off over the last few days. Well, that's probably not helping matters! My husband just informed me that they contain 40% of my daily fat. Awesome. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey, I'm just thankful they sound good and taste good. Just a few weeks ago the smell of them would have sent me running to the bathroom. Now I seem to be closer to my normal self...save for the protruding abdomen.</span>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, and today, a little boy at the park asked me why my belly was so big. I told him it was because there was a baby in there. He so graciously replied, "Nah-uh! You just have a fat belly!" Thank you random park kid. You're so sweet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I'm no longer sick (praise JESUS!) And my belly is bigger (as already mentioned) I certainly have a few needs this go around. Okay, they're really <i>wants,</i> but when you're preggo it feels like a need. I decided to make a list of all the things that seem to make me happy these days (because pregnancy makes me neurotic and list making...well, it's not something I normally do, so it's neurotic for me. It's not like I'm ever going to look at this list again).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. I have to have a non-fat vanilla chai every morning (tazo mix at home...I'm too cheap to schlep down the street to Caribou and fork over four bucks). This morning I ran out, so I wore my sad face around the house. I may have whined a little too. Then B took me to breakfast at La Mie and I smiled again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Meat. There I said it. No meatless Mondays for the past few weeks, because sista hasn't been going meatless much these days. I did, however, have a mexican black bean salad for lunch yesterday and it hit the spot...so, I might make a return to the land of no meat soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Two words...SWEET. TEA. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. One word...PIZZA...the homemade variety where my husband slaves over a hot grill in 100 degree heat. It's divine. And so is he.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. TUMS. It's like a bedtime snack these days. Probably because of the meat and pizza.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Water. Lots and lots of super-cold water. I just fill up my Camelback all day long. I'm not typically a fan of drinking water, but lately I can't get enough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also have a list of non-food needs...I'm shaping up to be one needy pregnant lady!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.ingridandisabel.com/product/1118/bellaband-organic.html">Bella band</a>. This stretchy guy has gotten me through two pregnancies now. I don't know what I'd do without it! I love that it allows me to wear my pre-pregnancy clothes a little bit longer. I'm not really a fan of maternity clothes in general, so I try to get as much use out of my pre-pregnancy clothes by layering and using my Bella band. I think there are cheaper versions out there now, but I haven't tried them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://keratininfusion.suave.com/us/base/keratininfusionpriducts#dry">Dry shampoo</a>. I sort of hate washing my hair every. single. day. and then styling it. But, without a little</span> <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">help, my pregnancy hair is just gross. Dry<span style="background-color: white;"> shampoo has been my best friend.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">3. Shorts. A friend of mine claimed that she preferred being pregnant in summer to being pregnant in the winter. Having never been noticeably pregnant in summer myself, I didn't believe her...I mean, the heat!!! But, the girl has a point. It's way easier to pull on a pair of shorts over a big belly than a pair of maternity pants! She's made me a believer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">4. <a href="http://www.erbaviva.com/detail.asp?SKU=10SMO&Cat=10">Erbaviva belly oil</a>. Oh man. I started using it when I was pregnant with the little Mr. and have used it with each pregnancy since. This stuff is awesome, and no itchy belly! I actually buy mine locally at a shop called Eden, but you can get it online at a variety of sources.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">5. <a href="http://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=lemon+verbena+soy+candles&category=0%7CAll%7Cmatchallpartial%7Call+categories"> Lemon verbena soy candles</a> from Target. I'm really sensitive to smells, and to finally find a scent that doesn't make me sick is awesome. These candles have such a fresh, clean scent, so I burn them all the time...like every time I swear something smells weird in the house (I'm usually the only one who smells these phantom odors).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">So that's the list of my crazy preggo idiosyncrasies! If I ever go back and read this list I will definitely come to the conclusion that I lost my marbles during pregnancy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>What about you? Do you have anything you couldn't (seemingly) live without during pregnancy?</b></span></span></div>
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<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-42884362992930802442012-06-07T02:00:00.000-07:002012-06-07T02:00:06.118-07:00Standing Guard...<b>"The mind is a dangerous tool if not guarded diligently. If left on its own, even the greatest of celebrations can turn to fear, discouragement and a loss of hope."</b><br />
<b> --Holly McRae</b><br />
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When I read the above quote today, I wished deep inside, I had read it five weeks ago. For the last five weeks, I have waded between hope and encouragement as I receive reports that our baby is growing and healthy, and deep discouragement over the fact that ultrasounds show the <a href="http://www.nikolejackson.blogspot.com/2012/05/one-about-giving-up-control.html">hemorrhage</a> is still present (we've had three so far since the diagnosis, with another in two weeks).<br />
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I can truly celebrate that we have reached 17 weeks, and I am feeling stronger baby movements every day. But, if I don't guard my mind, my celebrations turn to despair as I allow my mind to focus on the presence of the hemorrhage and fear begins to rob me of the joy that comes with carrying this little one.<br />
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Could God choose to not allow this little one to join our family here on earth? Absolutely. We never know how long we have with any of our loved ones. Of course my prayer is that the hemorrhage will go away, the pregnancy continues to full-term, and we are allowed to raise this sweet baby.<br />
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In my previous pregnancies, my milestone markers were each trimester. I would give God thanks when I crossed that imaginary dividing line that got me one step closer to delivery and holding our precious babies. This time, I thank God at the end of each day for one more day to carry this baby. One more day to feel sweet little kicks. One more day of no bleeding. More so than ever, I have so much respect and reverence for God's role as the Creator of the universe and the Sustainer of life.<br />
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Psalm 139:13-16 Is such a favorite verse when it comes to fully capturing God's role as the Creator of life:<br />
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<b>For you created my inmost being; </b><br />
<b>you knit me together in my mother's womb.</b><br />
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<b>I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;</b><br />
<b>your works are wonderful,</b><br />
<b>I know that full well.</b><br />
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<b>My frame was not hidden from you </b><br />
<b>when I was made in the secret place.</b><br />
<b>When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,</b><br />
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<b>Your eyes saw my unformed body.</b><br />
<b>All the days ordained for me were written in your book</b><br />
<b>before one of them came to be.</b><br />
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It is comforting knowing that our baby is well-known by our Heavenly Father. To Him, our baby is not simply a fetus. He sees our precious one, and oversees each little detail as it is formed. Our baby is not hidden from Him and He has already ordained our baby's days. <br />
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I know He is going before our baby and weaving together his/her story. That is something to rejoice over! I am really striving to not let any fear or discouragement rob me of celebrating what God is accomplishing. I am choosing to rejoice and celebrate each milestone day-by-day, and minute-by-minute.<br />
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<b>What about you? Is God teaching you about an area in your life that you need to view from a perspective of joy rather than fear or discouragement?</b>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-21867137200122717462012-06-06T12:26:00.002-07:002012-06-06T12:31:01.198-07:00His and Hers Adventures...<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Part of the India team...my handsome fella is on the far right...</span></div>
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Last Wednesday the kiddos and I drove Brent to the Des Moines airport where we said good-bye as he boarded a plane for a trip...a trip to INDIA...for 16 days. He is part of a 12 member team who are spending their days hiking the Himalayan mountains and praying along the way. They are stopping in various mountain villages to serve the people and live among them for a bit before moving up the mountain to the next village. This trip will be a challenge both physically and spiritually. </div>
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In the minds of many people, praying through villages doesn't seem like much of a mission trip. True, they are not building houses or community centers. They are not delivering humanitarian aid. The concern of the team and the many teams who have done this trek before them is the spiritual darkness in these villages, where currently it is not safe to share the gospel. They are building relationships with the Indian people and praying without ceasing that the doors will be swung wide open in India so the truth will penetrate the darkness and despair. Sure, the team could build houses (and don't get me wrong, I certainly see a place for a ministry such as this), but they are far more concerned for the lost souls in India. They long to see the people of India under the shelter of the wings of the Almighty.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">families saying good-bye to the team...</span></div>
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This is an adventure for both of us as Brent's never been out of the country, and we've never been apart for more than a few days at a time. For me it's an adventure in parenting skills, patience, and a challenge to keep the home front running smoothly. The kiddos are doing really well in Brent's absence. Eva still believes her dad is gallivanting around on an airplane, and Ethan said his dad moved to India. Thankfully neither circumstance is true. They miss him the most at night during our bedtime routine, as Bible story time has always been his gig, but they don't seem to mind my stories of Elisha too much even if I'm, "doing it wrong," most of the time. I've had to break-up a couple of fights, but overall they are doing great and we're having a lot of fun together.</div>
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As for me, I'm a relatively self-sufficient person who likes to keep my daily routine, so I'm not afraid to do things on my own for a while. The other night, we had one of our lamps quit working (truth be told the kids knocked it over during a heated brawl and I couldn't get it to work again). My first thought was to just buy another lamp, but then my cheap side kicked in and I figured there must be a way to repair the inner workings. Home Depot came to the rescue, and after a few minutes in the lighting department, I came out with the parts I needed and fixed the lamp. Brent is totally our household jack-of-all-trades, but he may be out of a job as far as electrical work goes. Just kidding. I have a 'honey-do' list a mile long waiting for him when he gets back *evil laugh*.</div>
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Even though I know this time apart has been good for both of us in various ways, I am SO READY for him to come home (we still have eight days left). I just miss our daily interactions, our little inside jokes, and our evening dates on the couch hanging out after the kiddos are in bed. And, quite frankly, he's handsome as all get out, so I miss his face! *Sigh* I love him.</div>
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I know he is going to come back a completely changed person, so my prayer is that God will "catch me up" spiritually so that we can be united in the new passions and desires God stirs in Brent's heart.</div>
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Overall this is simply an exciting time and I can't wait to hear the stories, see what God is doing and how He is moving in India and the hearts of the team.</div>
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Please pray for Brent and the 11 other members of the team. Pray for their health and safety during the trek and for God's light to shine in a darkened world!</div>
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**P.S. A few friends have asked how my pregnancy is going so far. The update is that the hemorrhage is still present, but that the baby continues to grow and remains healthy. I am nearly 17 weeks now, and am feeling a bit stronger movements, so that is very encouraging. I will try to write an update very soon. Thank you for praying for us and baby Jackson!!! It means more than you know!</div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-19428723611429683252012-05-29T15:05:00.000-07:002012-05-29T15:05:20.053-07:00Meatless Monday...It's Baaaaaaaaack...I can't believe I am rejoining the world of normal eating again. I didn't think the sickies would ever go away, and except for the rare sneak attack that sends me running for the bathroom unexpectedly, I'm back to what is somewhat normal. <br />
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For the last eight weeks, mealtime has been on Brent's shoulders with me asking, "Is it over yet?" As I huddled on the couch away from the cooking smells. Imagine his surprise when he walked in the kitchen this weekend to find me at work getting our dinner ready...a REAL dinner!<br />
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I decided to try my hand at a semi-homemade ravioli recipe I found on <a href="http://asmallsnippet.blogspot.com/2010/07/quick-homemade-ravioli.html">A Small Snippet</a>. It's a little more work than simply opening up a box of pasta and boiling it, yet still relatively easy with the help of pre-packaged wonton wrappers found in the refrigerated section of the produce department. <br />
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I typically can't leave a recipe well-enough alone, so I did add a couple of things to suit our family's tastes. To the ricotta filling, I added about a cup of chopped fresh spinach to sneak in some veggies, and the kiddos didn't even mind! Anytime I have a ricotta based dish I usually add just a dash of nutmeg to the ricotta mixture. It sounds crazy, but it really brings out the flavor of the ricotta, which usually is a bit bland tasting. Other than those two additions, I pretty much stuck to the recipe. She did not list measurements for the seasonings in the filling, so I just kind of guessed and 2 tablespoons of each seemed to be about the right amount for our family, but really you can't go wrong with a little more or a little less.<br />
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Instead of topping with a heavy sauce, the recipe called for a simple drizzle of olive oil, a few toasted walnuts, some grated Parmesan and a bit of fresh basil. I totally recommend this! It was so delicious. I hope you give it a chance! I do think the ravioli would also be great with a homemade tomato sauce or even an alfredo, but definitely try it her way first.<br />
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This meal was definitely a hit with our family. Our kids ate it up and then asked for seconds! The ravioli was even delicious warmed up the next day for lunch.<br />
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I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">Semi-Homemade Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli with Toasted Walnuts</span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ingredients</span>:</div>
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15 oz. Ricotta</div>
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1 C. mozzarella</div>
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handful of chopped spinach</div>
2 Tbsp. oregano<br />
2 Tbsp. basil<br />
2 Tbsp. parsley<br />
2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning<br />
dash of nutmeg<br />
kosher salt and pepper to taste<br />
1 Tbsp. olive oil<br />
1 package of wonton wrappers<br />
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chopped toasted walnuts<br />
grated parmesan<br />
fresh basil<br />
drizzle of olive oil<br />
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Bring a pot of salted water to boil.<br />
Combine ricotta, mozzarella, spinach, seasonings and olive oil in a bowl. If mixture seems a bit dry, add a little more olive oil to keep things moist. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sorry. I used a good bit of the cheese mixture before remembering to take a pic!</span></div>
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Place a small amount of the cheese mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper. A teaspoon or slightly more seems to be about the right proportion to keep the filling from oozing out when boiling.</div>
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Dip your finger in a bit of water and wet all of the edges, then fold into a triangle and press the edges together to seal.</div>
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Drop the ravioli into the boiling water about four or five at a time. I watched until the ravioli rose to the surface and then boiled for about another minute or so until tender. </div>
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Remove the ravioli from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and repeat with remaining ravioli. I tossed my cooked ravioli with just a bit of olive oil to keep them from sticking together before serving.</div>
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To serve, top the ravioli with your favorite sauce, or with walnuts, basil, parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.</div>
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Enjoy!</div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-27118971050315350042012-05-04T11:02:00.000-07:002012-05-04T11:02:37.615-07:00The One About Giving Up Control...<div style="text-align: center;">
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I'm just going to get right down to it. No fancy intro. No inspirational word picture to set the stage. This week we received some news that is not the greatest regarding our pregnancy. Early Monday morning, I woke up to a large amount of blood. Brent took me to the ER, where after some testing and an ultrasound, they determined I have a subchorionic hemorrhage. The good news is the location. It lies just above the cervix and thus is away from the placenta, where it could force the placenta away from the uterine wall, putting me at a greater risk of miscarriage. The not so good news, is the size. It is roughly 5cm (2 inches) putting it at about the same size as my pregnancy. The whole time in the ER, we were praying for two miracles. First, that the bleeding would stop or slow down, and second that our baby would still be alive. God graciously answered both of those prayers so we give Him the praise.</div>
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I am still spotting and occasionally have larger amounts of blood, which could be good as the hemorrhage releases the blood instead of building up, but frankly, bleeding in pregnancy is never a 'good' thing. Luckily, because of the position of the hemorrhage, it is not blocking nourishment to our baby, and so we have a very healthy baby right now, who is growing, moving and has a strong heartbeat! We had an ultrasound yesterday, and it was such a gift to see our little one, fully developed and doing acrobats. I praise God for the opportunity to see those beautiful tiny hands and feet! I am not on bed rest, I am just to take things easy, so no heavy lifting or marathon training ha!</div>
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When we first found out, I was desperately seeking wise counsel and encouragement from the doctors and specialist. I wanted someone to guarantee me of our baby's ability to survive. And you know what I received? Two doctors gave me a positive outcome, and two told me to be prepared for the worst. I was left feeling discouraged and desperate. I came home and sobbed, then I remembered a scrap piece of paper in my purse where I had written some verses down to share with a friend. I spent my afternoon in silence, reading God's word, praying and releasing my fears to Him.</div>
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If you don't mind I would like to share a couple of them with you:</div>
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John 14:27</div>
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"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.</div>
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I realized that I was looking in the wrong place for my peace. I was desperate for the doctors to give me hope...but there is only ONE who is the giver of hope. Our Heavenly Father. He is the Father of all peace and comfort, so why was I looking to the world to provide that for me? I was also reminded of something else. Fear is not from God. He is not the Father of fear...<span style="font-size: large;">He is the Father of peace and comfort and hope.</span></div>
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Romans 15:13</div>
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"May the god of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. </div>
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I just cannot tell you how encouraged I feel. I was thinking back to something Job said in the Bible (but, believe me, I in know way am identifying myself with Job's trials) he basically said, God's mind and purpose has never changed and whatever He wants to do, He does. He controls our destiny. </div>
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While I don't completely understand the purpose in all of this today, I can say that it has caused me to do one thing that God longs for each of us to do...release my control to Him. There is nothing I can do of myself to change outcomes in my favor, but I can thank Him for every single day I get to have with this baby, and I can rest in the fact that whether the outcome is in my favor or not, He controls my destiny. His ways are higher than mine, and His plan is to prosper me and not harm me. To give me hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). </div>
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I hesitated writing this post, because I don't want to convey the wrong thing. I am not looking for sympathy or attention. I am praising God for the hope He is giving me each day! I have shed many tears, but feel at such peace about this whole thing right now. I have searched God's word and am learning to give up control. Right now we have a growing, healthy-baby, and that gives me so much hope! We all have pain and trials, it just looks different for each of us. I pray that you are encouraged by God's words of hope as I have been!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2 Corinthians 1:3-5</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-67186661582367682392012-04-27T12:47:00.000-07:002012-04-27T12:47:24.318-07:00It's Been A While...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My name is Nikki and it's been nearly a month since my last confession. <br />
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Friends this was a much needed break as things have been rough in the Jackson house. We're talking dirty laundry piling up, dishes that need washed, kids who need to be schooled, a house that has needed some serious attention, and a sweet hubby who has been trying to be Mr. Mom in the middle of the mayhem. Now, one may think I'm not pulling my weight around here. And you'd be right. I've been hanging out on the couch...sick. Yuck. But it's for a good reason...<br />
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Coming mid-November...</div>
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My first thought when I saw those double lines on the stick? (okay, in full disclosure...5 sticks later) We will now be outnumbered. I'm sure the joke's on us, but right now we're pretty stinking excited! In November I may be more dazed and confused.<br />
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So, while I've been...ummm...'working'...the blog has totally taken the back seat. Meatless Monday? So not happening for a while. The thought of listing ingredients for Meatless Monday about sends me over the edge. It will definitely be back...maybe in a few weeks. Ha! Oh, and Thrifted Thursday? Yeah...right now I'm lucky to get out of leggings and t-shirts. I love you all too much to subject you to that hot mess.<br />
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Posts may be a bit sporadic for a bit, but when this fog called morning sickness lifts, then I'll get back to the grind.<br />
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The kiddos are way excited and have already put in their gender requests and name choices. Ethan wants a boy and would like to name him, "Gadget". Eva would like a girl and is requesting the name, "Latte". I have vetoed both names. Although, I do see the humor in yelling across the parking lot, <i>"Latte! Get over here right now! We don't run around the parking lot!"</i> There's something just a little awesome about that. But, no. I definitely won't go there. Maybe we'll just call the baby "latte" until he/she arrives. That might be okay.<br />
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I usually get asked a couple of questions and I'll totally answer them here because I'm pretty much an open book...<br />
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1) <i>Will you find out the baby's gender?</i> <br />
No. We're crazy like that. We didn't find out with either the little Mr. or Miss and we totally LOVE surprises! <br />
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2) <i>Will this baby's name start with the letter 'E'? </i><br />
Depends. We never intended to go with all 'E' names. Eva was originally going to be Avery but after she was born she looked nothing like an Avery, so we were back at square one in the name department before settling on Eva (oh, and in case you're wondering, we do not pronounce her name 'Ava' or 'Eh-va'. We pronounce the long 'E'.). If baby numero tres is a boy, his name will start with the letter 'M'. If a girl...well, we do have two 'E' names we like, but we haven't nailed it down yet and it certainly doesn't have to start with the letter 'E' to make the cut. Very long answer sheesh!<br />
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3) <i>We know your house only has two bedrooms. Does that mean you will be moving before the baby comes? </i><br />
Again, we're crazy, but no. We are not moving. We LOVE our house, neighborhood and location so much that we are not moving. Plus, our neighborhood is a melting pot and the best place for us to do ministry right now. Ethan and Eva share a room and will soon be getting bunkbeds. Baby number 3 will sleep in our room until he/she sleeps through the night and then all three will share a room. Sort of like the Darling family in Peter Pan! Ha! I'm actually sort of excited to have all of them share. Sure, we'll have to move eventually, but for now we're staying put. Hopefully one day I'll do a house post and give you all a little tour of our sweet bungalow we call home!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Disney Debuts Peter Pan Storybook App" src="http://www.toonbarn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/peter-pan.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo courtesy Disney</td></tr>
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So, that's it in a nutshell. I'll be around kind of here and there, but hope to get back to writing soon!<br />
In the meantime, enjoy this video of Brent and I letting the cat out of the bag with the kiddos. To set the stage for a positive reaction, we took them out for ice cream...it worked. Oh, and pay no attention to the fact that the little Mr. is eating his styrofoam cup...I promise we feed our children something other than styrofoam.<br />
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<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-79512682568517160812012-03-19T13:33:00.000-07:002012-03-19T13:33:39.182-07:00Meatless Monday...Fail<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I've been sort of wracking my brain on what to share for Meatless Monday since last night's dinner was a huge fail (Cheesy Quinoa Cakes= Greasy Crumbled Mess). I sort of had high hopes that the Quinoa patties would knock my socks off, but after trying many different varieties (black beans, lentils and now quinoa) I'm beginning to think unless it's beef, it doesn't belong in a patty. I know. Sort of goes against my meatless standards. I will give it one last try soon and will reveal my final conclusion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, with no wow-factor leftovers, I was forced to make a sandwich for lunch today. I had some homemade guacamole on hand, some veggies, flat bread and monterrey jack cheese. I figured surely this would make some kind of a good combo. It was good. Actually, it was awesome! The kids looked longingly at my sandwich and asked for one bite. Knowing that their bite equals three-fourths of my sandwich, I thought about saying, "No, my loves. This is mommy's delicious sandwich, finish your peanut butter." But, I remembered the whole sharing thing...so I shared. And they loved it too. They also finished it :(</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Nq6R7iXcCg2e1KoJGh5mmh6YoheHp_ilqSW8obfiYp4lQbQHVExvFVwPSBviaRgbcB3W5Qty46y3SqgPLJu6M_Z9QFouu3bNM3IjpEYq4JEZmuEeHHqWzyUKrcaG-I54_wv8iugpuRc/s1600/pics+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Nq6R7iXcCg2e1KoJGh5mmh6YoheHp_ilqSW8obfiYp4lQbQHVExvFVwPSBviaRgbcB3W5Qty46y3SqgPLJu6M_Z9QFouu3bNM3IjpEYq4JEZmuEeHHqWzyUKrcaG-I54_wv8iugpuRc/s400/pics+026.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Grilled Guacamole Melt</u></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 whole wheat flat bread circle, cut in half (could also use pita pockets or tortillas)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Smidge of butter</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thinly sliced monterrey jack cheese</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 Tbsp guacamole (recipe below)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 thin slices of tomato</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thinly sliced red onion</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 Tbsp. shredded carrot</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) Lightly butter one side of each flat bread half.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) On one half of the flat bread layer the cheese. Spread with guacamole and top with veggies. Top with other half of bread and grill buttered side down over medium heat until golden brown. Flip and grill the other side until brown and cheese is melted.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) Eat in hiding, so you don't have to share.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Guacamole</u></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 Ripe avocados</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 roma tomato, diced very fine</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 C. red onion, diced very fine</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 C. cilantro, chopped</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 tsp. garlic powder (more or less to taste)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 tsp. kosher salt (more or less to taste)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 Tbsp. lemon juice</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 seeded jalapeno, chopped fine (optional)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Combine all ingredients and mash until smooth (or slightly chunky). Chill, wrapped tightly in plastic before serving. To store any remaining guacamole (but seriously, who has leftovers?) place in a small ziplock bag, being careful to remove all air from the bag creating a tight seal against the guacamole to prevent browning.</span></div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-12791584915398771042012-03-15T12:19:00.000-07:002012-03-15T12:19:54.581-07:00Thrifted Thursday Just A Smidge Hippie...<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would consider myself one of those people who goes through style phases. There was the turtleneck phase in middle school, where all I would wear were turtlenecks in every possible color. The t-shirt phase. The flannel/grunge + Doc Martens phase (I was fairly tame with this one...). The preppy phase. The cardigan phase. And then the cardigan phase reborn 10 years later. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then there was the vest phase... my freshman year of high school, I had these retro vests I would layer over my outfits. They were actually pretty cool because they were vintage and were handed down to me from my grandpa. But, sadly, somewhere along the way, I lost interest in the vests and gave them away. Hands down my biggest fashion mistake was giving away those vests. Not only because of their sentimental value, but they fit perfectly (my grandpa is a slight man) and were the perfect combo of menswear mixed with my girly style. I've learned my lesson. If something goes out of style, but I still really love it, I'll hold on to a couple of my favorite items for when fashion comes full circle again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Several weeks ago, a good friend handed down to me a denim vest. It was way cute (AND still had the tags on!) but I wasn't sure I could pull it off nearly 20 years later. I sort of just stashed it away in my closet until yesterday. I looked it over and decided maybe I could pull off a modified "hippie" look with it...</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PzA3FyODXHHO3nudRweF2-Ffxu6K-p_jeaisVyL2X7uBZXe09FLfyeOb-0164MWKXnyo5_aYyYh7YOf5Vp90zil3HANeTHxLPSZvPCfnHAGHSVn-JLc-Ci7IvXdutzZloVqMscg9neY/s1600/hippy+vest1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PzA3FyODXHHO3nudRweF2-Ffxu6K-p_jeaisVyL2X7uBZXe09FLfyeOb-0164MWKXnyo5_aYyYh7YOf5Vp90zil3HANeTHxLPSZvPCfnHAGHSVn-JLc-Ci7IvXdutzZloVqMscg9neY/s400/hippy+vest1.jpg" width="366" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">vest: GAP hand-me-down</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">blouse: super old</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">jeans: The Limited thrifted</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHtdBtxO1j5IZu9QdKGoFZ8nK0IhxGHVn1c0qZh3s8r6B13VMQLZ2s4Z20NuCtOwS-v0V7ApOJjrRntCBQjECij1cU4dstyuGnlj5UXTnz-E85bA0JTfmiezF_fVDmCxzyjBgTtkbLGk/s1600/pics+1156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHtdBtxO1j5IZu9QdKGoFZ8nK0IhxGHVn1c0qZh3s8r6B13VMQLZ2s4Z20NuCtOwS-v0V7ApOJjrRntCBQjECij1cU4dstyuGnlj5UXTnz-E85bA0JTfmiezF_fVDmCxzyjBgTtkbLGk/s320/pics+1156.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">necklace: gift from a friend</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZoZj7V4-6HcPTjA2lLI8FxL-Ybbh5vu8Zr6utPgxD7TJsJSgNB-ngizFx2-sTVAZUIergbIxE4rHOlykG63kvhzcSatMB9JuWfwrRQosK1I5fLVUPEAtRZtgAz0aLsnrJhNipELvuOY0/s1600/pics+1157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZoZj7V4-6HcPTjA2lLI8FxL-Ybbh5vu8Zr6utPgxD7TJsJSgNB-ngizFx2-sTVAZUIergbIxE4rHOlykG63kvhzcSatMB9JuWfwrRQosK1I5fLVUPEAtRZtgAz0aLsnrJhNipELvuOY0/s320/pics+1157.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">shoes: Lucky Brand thrifted</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was actually fun to put together an outfit from my past with a few modern twists...and of course thrifted and free is always a winner in my book!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What about you? Did you go through any fashion 'phases'? Have you revisited a style from your past?</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-28066677709340429272012-03-14T07:40:00.000-07:002012-03-14T07:40:21.443-07:00Dude, Get On That Already...<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I've been feeling challenged to wrap up a few projects around the home front and blog front. Do you guys read <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/">Young House Love</a>? I love reading their blog! They are funny and punny and seriously get stuff done! They've given themselves a "Dude, Get On That Already!" challenge to finish up some projects that have been set aside for too long. After reading their commitment to get stuff done, I've started to feel the fire being lit under me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have a lot of projects we'd like to accomplish around our house before May, so B and I are feeling the pressure to get er' done. But, one project I've put off <span style="font-size: large;">forever</span> is simply organizing my blog. Every week I do a Meatless Monday and Thrifted Thursday post. The problem? Well, those posts were just floating around on my blog. If I, or anyone else, wanted to look up a specific recipe it was a huge pain to find the old posts. Not fun. So, I finally bit the bullet and added some nice little tabs up top to get things nice and organized and clean-up my blog! Now, you can click on 'Meatless Mondays' and find all the recipes in one convenient spot! Yay! I have yet to organize the Thrifted Thursday posts, but that's next friends! I'm sure I will continue tweaking things, and things may get worse before getting better...but hang in there with me okay?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Poor B. I have a list of 24 'to-do's' (and counting) to get done around our place. But, I've committed to helping him knock it out. Our house was built in 1916, so with age comes lots of up keep just to keep things looking fresh (and fixed). I just know once we get started it will be refreshing to simply cross it off our list and put it behind us. So, here's our <span style="font-size: large;">Dude </span>(and Dudette) <span style="font-size: large;">Get On That! </span>List:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) build/Install Kitchen closet door</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) re-attach Gutter (it fell off last week during a big gust of wind)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) build Kid's bunk-bed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) buy bunkbed from IKEA because we didn't build them</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5) re-finish dresser</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6) run new electrical in kitchen</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7) finish lower cabinets</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8) install backsplash</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9) new countertops</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10) install microwave above stove</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11) under cabinet lighting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11) paint living room</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12) paint master bedroom</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">13) install bathroom closet door</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">14) paint garage</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">15) clean up landscaping</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">16) plant garden</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">17) clean/organize basement</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">18) paint basement walls</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">19) install exhaust fan in bathroom</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">20) new bathroom sinks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">21) resign to the fact that new bathroom sinks aren't happening</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">22) new kitchen sink</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">23) caulk bathroom doors</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">24) install new kitchen window</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">25) paint trim in bedrooms</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that you've seen our huge list, I'm feeling accountable to getting it done! </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do any of you have a to-do list that just </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">needs</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to get knocked out? Does Spring have you saying 'Dude Get On That Already?!'</span><br />
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</span>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-3890180403685768352012-03-12T11:59:00.001-07:002012-03-12T11:59:38.702-07:00Meatless Monday...Thai Peanut NoodlesWow...it's going to be a gorgeous week in Iowa, 60's today and 70's the rest of the week! I think Spring is officially here! We had a great weekend with my parents who came up to celebrate my birthday, so this gal got away without cooking all weekend! Last night around 10pm I realized I was back on kitchen duty today, which meant I should ease myself into things with a super-easy recipe. This Thai Peanut Noodle recipe is not only easy, but super-yummy!<br />
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This is actually one of those recipes my kiddos gobble up and then ask for seconds (probably because of the peanut butter). When I originally made this, I sliced the carrots, but soon realized the texture was much better if they were shredded on a box grater. I also used frozen broccoli florets that I steamed for 3 minutes in the microwave before sauteing all vegetables together. Sliced red bell pepper was also a later addition which really made this recipe so much better! Hope you all enjoy it!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thai Peanut Noodles</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7kjITIyLxSUSGIA92UJI843xLjzEw8xkldW9zdNFbV4pkzM6nctzLJhCuU_EsnAOgPxAAA5BLGB1XV53M79qRqB3eGVy4BGb-HJXTcuh2OoxbqGzmeUEeQlSY8XitwszK7sbz7Gp7FQ/s1600/pics+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7kjITIyLxSUSGIA92UJI843xLjzEw8xkldW9zdNFbV4pkzM6nctzLJhCuU_EsnAOgPxAAA5BLGB1XV53M79qRqB3eGVy4BGb-HJXTcuh2OoxbqGzmeUEeQlSY8XitwszK7sbz7Gp7FQ/s400/pics+010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 pkg whole wheat linguine noodles</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 tbsp. cornstarch</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 C. chicken broth (or vegetable broth)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">5 tbsp. creamy peanut butter</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">3 tbsp. soy sauce</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">3 tbsp. honey (or brown sugar)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 tsp. sesame oil</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated (powdered ginger is fine too)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">2 tbsp. sesame oil</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">2 garlic cloves, minced</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 C. broccoli florets</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 C. shredded carrots</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1/2 C. sugar snap peas</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1/4 C. chopped cilantro</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Directions:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1) Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and boil pasta until al dente.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">2) Meanwhile, in a saucepan over low heat, whisk cornstarch into the chicken broth until dissolved. Whisk in peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, 1 tsp. sesame oil, ginger and crushed red pepper until combined and slightly thickened (about 5 minutes).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">3) Heat 2 tbsp. sesame oil in a skillet and saute garlic just until fragrant. Add all vegetables except cilantro and saute until tender. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">4) Drain the pasta (do not rinse) and toss with vegetables and peanut sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</span></div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-45778254604560590272012-03-09T13:32:00.000-08:002012-03-09T13:32:21.392-08:00Meatless...Thursday?...Is it allowed to do a Meatless Monday post on Thursday? Let's just call it playing catch up mkay? I sort of hit the wall recently between homeschooling, a Monday evening study B and I are going through, Awanas, youth group, work, small group and life in general. All that said, I have had trouble eeking out posts for the last few weeks. <br />
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But, I will say one of my bright spots of late was a trip to San Diego with a few ladies from church to attend the CPC conference for those working in children's ministry. It was awesome. I learned so much and came away with tools to not only help me as I work with children and youth, but tools to help B and I raise our little ones up to love their Lord with all their heart! Good stuff!<br />
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Here are a few pics from our time there:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnlFLqft-qdHk_Hl7lAphpDNCwJJw-ZuKrIMzB38SJhIIaqGoi_PcfL5ufEHDKg26E02kINL6wszbht6arO8gZONUULv0UJ6cNYoqJaM0A8H6J9JrYCI424OwETuwF16xWhTd48xT_eo/s1600/pics+1143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnlFLqft-qdHk_Hl7lAphpDNCwJJw-ZuKrIMzB38SJhIIaqGoi_PcfL5ufEHDKg26E02kINL6wszbht6arO8gZONUULv0UJ6cNYoqJaM0A8H6J9JrYCI424OwETuwF16xWhTd48xT_eo/s320/pics+1143.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It was so much fun...but my favorite part? Not having to prepare any meals! I'm not going to lie, having my food prepared for me every evening was pretty amazing. <br />
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What about B and the kiddos you ask? Well, B held down the home front for a few days, and may I add he did an amazing job? Seriously, he's such an awesome dad, and the three of them had such a great time together! The two littles are a couple of lucky kiddos to have a dad like him!<br />
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Now that we're back to our routine again, and I'm back to cooking *sigh* I thought I'd share a recipe we were totally loving last night...caramelized mushroom, pepper and onion pizza with herbed goat cheese. Oh. My. Word. This was so good. The pizza was perfectly crispy, the veggies were nice and caramelized and the goat cheese...oh, the goat cheese. This pizza was so good we fought over who would have the leftovers for lunch...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEija6XFUTwZP0eeRO82Sc2qC5vVoiHnB1OKJeUL4AXQB_8mbXw2q67W-uaixSW_sdMn1YbXRWxnJ2pUygHvYwLZwqGkatnJykdohxkb5AUZ4pj5u54D0tQIXZV9j0jqS6Bzo_Lg6_fFiqs/s1600/pics+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEija6XFUTwZP0eeRO82Sc2qC5vVoiHnB1OKJeUL4AXQB_8mbXw2q67W-uaixSW_sdMn1YbXRWxnJ2pUygHvYwLZwqGkatnJykdohxkb5AUZ4pj5u54D0tQIXZV9j0jqS6Bzo_Lg6_fFiqs/s320/pics+025.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Caramelized Mushroom, Pepper and Onion Pizza with Herbed </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Goat Cheese</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Crust:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">4 1/2 C white whole wheat flour (all purpose is okay)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 3/4 tsp. Kosher salt</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 tsp. yeast</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1/4 C. olive oil</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 3/4 C. cold water</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a mixer fitted with a dough hook until ball forms. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise 1 hour.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sauce:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 can diced tomatoes</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 tbsp. olive oil</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">4 garlic cloves, minced</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 tsp. kosher salt</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Place olive oil, salt and garlic in a small pot and cook just until garlic becomes fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook 10-15 minutes breaking up the tomatoes until sauce begins to thicken.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Toppings:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">8 oz. package mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1/2 red pepper thinly sliced</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1/2 green pepper thinly sliced</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1/2 red onion thinly sliced</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">about 6 baby bella mushrooms washed and sliced</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">4 oz. package tomato/herb goat cheese</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">In a small skillet with a bit of olive oil, saute peppers, onion and mushroom just until caramelized. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">To make the pizza:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Preheat oven to 500 degrees.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Take a large ball of the dough (you should have enough dough for four pizzas) and spread it on a lightly greased baking pan. Top the dough with sauce, then a layer of mozzarella. Spread the vegetables over the mozzarella and break off little bits of the goat cheese and sprinkle it over all. Bake for about 10 minutes until crust starts to brown, then using a spatula, slide the pizza from the pan directly onto the oven rack and bake another 5-8 minutes or just until the pizza is bubbly and the bottom is nice and brown. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">psst...</div><div style="text-align: left;">recently I had the opportunity to talk about meatless meals on our local news. If you want to check out the video, you can go here...<a href="http://whotv.com/2012/03/05/meatless-meals-families-save-cash-on-meals/">http://whotv.com/2012/03/05/meatless-meals-families-save-cash-on-meals/</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</span></div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-85251945112021611122012-02-20T14:44:00.000-08:002012-02-20T14:44:02.646-08:00Meatless Monday...PW's Cajun PastaLast night B cooked. I know right? He was all, "Babe, I thought you'd like a break so why don't I cook?" To me, that was the most romantic thing he could have said, and way better than roses and chocolate. Oh, and being the amazing man that he is, he even made it meatless...swoon.<br />
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He decided to make PW's <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/cajun-chicken-pasta/">Cajun Chicken Pasta </a>sans the chicken. Oh, my was it yummy! We've made it a few times before with the chicken, but honestly with all the yummy peppers we didn't even miss the meat... <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtJjnpt4VbYUjafVWdCq-prUDzKe7Ex2MAO8_ObYm5P_l4Rz3ZJOE8ghVlnhJtve-EKna3Pz2V5K4hR9HIOmEA7YtHm3MkHgclMeb5D3cpRprqED3fR7hlqAsE_Sis7HaoB0njDQFQo4/s1600/pics+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtJjnpt4VbYUjafVWdCq-prUDzKe7Ex2MAO8_ObYm5P_l4Rz3ZJOE8ghVlnhJtve-EKna3Pz2V5K4hR9HIOmEA7YtHm3MkHgclMeb5D3cpRprqED3fR7hlqAsE_Sis7HaoB0njDQFQo4/s400/pics+023.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>For those who may not like spicy food, I should note that this wasn't spicy at all. You can really give it a kick by adding cayenne if you'd like, but it's equally good without it (this coming from a girl who LOVES spicy food!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIzVJABKGmK8IFZ7Wna8VJO5Df7NRVxsX3abWhhf8CatnXKvMzHASpLtiKaCLr28_Yxszu3WoXdPcX5JbRvnsi9lnCa78TDWUxb5ExuY1eud5V4EVsAPw0FlsnjxnHbp1f_CT-0kDeEI/s1600/pics+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIzVJABKGmK8IFZ7Wna8VJO5Df7NRVxsX3abWhhf8CatnXKvMzHASpLtiKaCLr28_Yxszu3WoXdPcX5JbRvnsi9lnCa78TDWUxb5ExuY1eud5V4EVsAPw0FlsnjxnHbp1f_CT-0kDeEI/s400/pics+024.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The recipe calls for 'Cajun spice mix' so we used Tony Cachere's which you can find pretty much anywhere. I grew up on this stuff as when I lived at home my mama made homemade gumbo quite a bit. The directions on the back say to "Use it like salt. When it is salty enough, it's seasoned to perfection." This is pretty accurate...I used a bit too much once, and my food was way too salty!<br />
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Hope you enjoy this! Better yet, I hope your spouse makes it for you!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">PW's Cajun Pasta (meatless)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 lb. fettuccine</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 Tbs. butter</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 Tbs. olive oil</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 tsp Cajun spice mix</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 whole green pepper, seeded and sliced</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 whole red pepper, seeded and sliced</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 red onion, sliced</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 cloves garlic, minced</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 Roma tomatoes, diced</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 C. vegetable or chicken broth</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 C. white wine</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 C. heavy cream</div><div style="text-align: left;">cayenne pepper to taste</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">*Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Do not over cook. Drain and set aside.</div><div style="text-align: left;">*Heat olive oil and butter in pan. Toss peppers and onions with Cajun spice mix and saute in pan until seared and tender. Add tomatoes and cook an additional 30 seconds. Remove from pan and set aside.</div><div style="text-align: left;">*With the pan over high heat add wine and chicken broth. Cook for 3-5 minutes scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium/low and add cream, whisking constantly until mixture begins to thicken.</div><div style="text-align: left;">*Add vegetables to sauce and stir to cook 1-2 minutes. Add drained fettuccine and toss to coat. The sauce will be fairly thin, but will thicken as it sits a bit.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We serve ours with a little extra Cajun spice mix and shredded Parmesan cheese.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-89344922060219954052012-02-15T12:00:00.000-08:002012-02-15T12:00:46.249-08:00Side-By-Side...Way back before there were two miniature Jacksons, there was just Brent and Nikki. A couple of college students doing the long distance dating thing. There were lots of sweet notes and e-mails sent back and forth. At first we signed <span style="font-size: large;">Love, Brent </span>and <span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nikki</span>, but after a while, we developed a sort of shorthand and began signing <span style="font-size: large;">Love, B. </span>and <span style="font-size: large;">Love, N.</span> I know...it's like rocket science or something. It's never left us and we still just sign our initials when we write to each other.<br />
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But you know something? There is something in all of those years of simply typing our initials that I never noticed, but B did and used it to make the best Valentine's Card ever. We've always been side-by-side...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTZs2fPHZjx8barLWIjiB_Z0GeP3JGijMolkxT1FCo5OdmvBLGus2LaF1dVxbqkXSDPQXAGSanVlWHPUJq852hGqX_qJPoYI5NAlJf_ESKJT5HvqnSeJA3UJeExU-4onGXuMj4x1BHJc/s1600/pics+3079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTZs2fPHZjx8barLWIjiB_Z0GeP3JGijMolkxT1FCo5OdmvBLGus2LaF1dVxbqkXSDPQXAGSanVlWHPUJq852hGqX_qJPoYI5NAlJf_ESKJT5HvqnSeJA3UJeExU-4onGXuMj4x1BHJc/s400/pics+3079.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I will share just a brief bit of what he wrote on the inside:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I guess it's poetic that as one intends to type 'B' or 'N' they accidentally </div><div style="text-align: center;">type the other, but it's no accident since we are a unified pair.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It is amazing how God intricately weaves us together with the mates HE created for us. Many of my friends have shared time and again that their husband is their perfect match. Strong where we are weak. An encouragement as we walk through life side-by-side. Unified as <span style="font-size: large;">one.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm grateful that in God's perfect creation of marriage, he intended for an unbroken unity.</div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-76307299790090329352012-02-06T13:35:00.000-08:002012-02-06T12:14:34.807-08:00Meatless Monday: Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies...<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">**I originally posted this recipe in September of 09'! A friend reminded me of it today, so I decided to re-run it! I suppose my adventures in healthier eating began earlier than I had thought!** </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3AP6i0swPNNsMJ3KhyphenhyphenpeG_qx9eyMQiauvlI5t-vYyAf7lEX8ME9rVAX-SOi-wvYsM-Y1uXZkuAjRMKV9B9RMcMV3FTpJxF_WObLjfLpkwgmI5uDzzQ-tPmLv6JRb24wEAp0XyivDOCk/s1600-h/Picture+240.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381053785970277058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3AP6i0swPNNsMJ3KhyphenhyphenpeG_qx9eyMQiauvlI5t-vYyAf7lEX8ME9rVAX-SOi-wvYsM-Y1uXZkuAjRMKV9B9RMcMV3FTpJxF_WObLjfLpkwgmI5uDzzQ-tPmLv6JRb24wEAp0XyivDOCk/s320/Picture+240.jpg" style="height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><br />
<div><span style="font-size: large;">So, this is my newest recipe adventure: Black Bean Brownies. Doesn't it sound like some dirty trick you played on your best friend in high school? "Here, try these </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">brownies</span><span style="font-size: large;">...he he he. You're going to love them...he he he." Not that I would know...I never, ever pulled pranks like that...</span><br />
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<div><div><span style="font-size: large;">**Anyway, we tried these, which is a stretch for us. They taste really good, but I think I just can't get my mind to forget about the beans. They have a texture very much like '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">flourless</span> chocolate cake'. Very moist, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">fudgy</span>, not chewy like a traditional brownie. I encourage you to give the recipe a shot and tell me what you think. B and the little <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Mr</span>. enjoyed them. They like them with vanilla-bean ice cream...kind of a theme here I guess. Oh, and a plus...they're gluten-free!!!</span></div><br />
<div><span style="font-size: large;">BLACK BEAN BROWNIES:</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<div><span style="font-size: large;">1 can black beans (*I used salt free drained/rinsed)</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">3 eggs</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">1/3 C. melted butter</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">1/4 C. cocoa powder</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">1/8 tsp salt (omit the salt if your beans are not salt-free)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">2 tsp vanilla</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">1/2 C. + 2 Tbs sugar (I used organic cane juice sugar but regular white sugar is fine)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">1/3 C. chopped walnuts</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<div><span style="font-size: large;">Directions:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Pre</span>-heat oven to 350 and lightly butter an 8x8 glass baking dish.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">In blender or food processor, puree beans, eggs, butter, cocoa, salt, vanilla and sugar until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake 30-35 minutes or until center is set. I pulled mine after 25 minutes...my oven runs a bit hot.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<div><span style="font-size: large;">Enjoy!</span></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHfg7gIDzAEeR8luxN_He96jwyf4ygR0dd3SzKR-tsIj28g2OErGn_9ogTfGww2QaTDIADqKJDHmbnLyqqfNTsF6ifWIKzONyjmcZeb0JTon3sU4YpX_d1fMnSDxRqWMjcgFob7f-L8M/s1600-h/Picture+236.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381056683560038898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHfg7gIDzAEeR8luxN_He96jwyf4ygR0dd3SzKR-tsIj28g2OErGn_9ogTfGww2QaTDIADqKJDHmbnLyqqfNTsF6ifWIKzONyjmcZeb0JTon3sU4YpX_d1fMnSDxRqWMjcgFob7f-L8M/s320/Picture+236.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6rEX1qQWa9RbLvHv1vanrIt5OOCYpKC22aYSAIEDTYIApJ0spegL1phbfyoclQ8DEvBqy2EZC30KN5pEwRhIPZ5CgQozRgTyPVeCRYPCIAUiwYkrTTbAamSaKDowbofbgRf5yOO93_I/s1600-h/Picture+239.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381056702460705154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6rEX1qQWa9RbLvHv1vanrIt5OOCYpKC22aYSAIEDTYIApJ0spegL1phbfyoclQ8DEvBqy2EZC30KN5pEwRhIPZ5CgQozRgTyPVeCRYPCIAUiwYkrTTbAamSaKDowbofbgRf5yOO93_I/s320/Picture+239.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<div></div><span style="font-size: large;">**update...we've made these many times since, and really enjoy them.</span><br />
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<div></div></div></div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-72007268325625227162012-02-02T12:25:00.000-08:002012-02-02T12:25:18.049-08:00A Tale of Two Fish...<span style="font-size: large;">So one day (several months ago) I received a phone call from my mama that went like this, "So, I was thinking of what to get the kids for Christmas and your dad and I thought fish would be a great idea." I laughed. And said, "No." She came up with some fairly convincing reasons why a fish would be good for our household, but I still laughed and said, "No." I know what happens when a person takes on fish...the story usually ends with a trip to the toilet and an explanation of whether or not fish go to Heaven. No thank you. Then it was her turn to laugh, saying something about passing the baton of parenthood. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My mama is a persistent lady. It's one of her God-given gifts. Persistence. For several weeks leading up to Christmas, she would randomly ask me if I had considered her proposition and I would again say, "No." I said "No" many times before I finally gave in and begrudgingly said "Yes". See? Persistence = her God-given gift. This would be the point when she could have rightfully thrown out a certain Charlie Sheen quote. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So, after Christmas our children became the proud owners of a new fish tank. We took ourselves down to the local Petsmart and bought the fixings for the fish tank using a gift card from my parents that was specifically designated for keeping the fish alive. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We came home with our new fishy family members: Elmo, Alvin and Sheldon the snail. Things were going along swimmingly for several weeks </span>(Oh, yes. I'm all over that pun)<span style="font-size: large;">. We fed them and kept them alive. Until this week. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You see, there was a hollow tube that was in the center of the tank. It filtered this color changing light that the kiddos were obsessed with. They would stand in front of the tank quickly pressing the button making the colors change rapidly all the way through <span style="color: red;">R</span><span style="color: #e69138;">o</span><span style="color: #f1c232;">y</span> <span style="color: lime;">G</span>. <span style="color: blue;">B</span><span style="color: #20124d;">i</span><span style="color: #741b47;">v</span>. Why this hollow tube never caused concern, I'm not sure. I should have recalled scenes from "Finding Nemo" and how easily fish get themselves into precarious situations. Anyway, Elmo </span>(whom I sort of pegged as a trouble maker early on)<span style="font-size: large;"> chose to swim down the tube...and couldn't make his way back out. All he had to do was swim back up the tube and out, but it was more than he could handle. I'm guessing he watched this scene from finding Nemo and was following horrible advice to keep swimming down:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/sUTt0LMhyas?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Elmo managed to swim down the tube and under the support tray, trapping himself. So to rescue him, I had to scoop out Alvin and Sheldon and place them in a bag. I scooped out the rocks and foliage from the 3 gallon tank, then I put the stopper in the kitchen sink and poured out the whole fish tank until Elmo fell out from under the tray and into the sink. I replaced the rocks and faux sea foliage then filled the tank back up with fresh </span><span style="font-size: large;">water. Finally I put Elmo, Alvin and Sheldon back in their home and mumbled how lucky they were. </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lucky</span><span style="font-size: large;"> I tell you! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">About 10 minutes later Elmo started acting crazy. He was swimming erratically and flipping around (not in the thankful to be alive sort of way) and before I knew it he was upside down. I figured the stressful circumstances were his demise, until another 10 minutes went by and Alvin started doing the same dance...</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">And then there were none</span><span style="font-size: large;">. The lone survivor was Sheldon...the bottom feeding snail who seems to have a strong will to live. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The kiddos did surprisingly well considering the circumstances. The little Mr. just patted my shoulder and said, "It's okay mama. I know you did your best. You didn't mean to kill Alvin and Elmo." Such a bummer. Po</span><span style="font-size: large;">or little guy. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I kept trying to piece together where things went wrong, when I realized I had forgotten to add the all important tank conditioner drops to remove the harsh chlorine from the tap water. Sheesh. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So, a big fat parenting fail this week. We're taking ourselves back down to Petsmart to pick out a new Alvin and Elmo. I will give this two more rounds before I throw in the towel and declare Sheldon the winner and let him have the tank all to himself.</span>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-24896207107215008292012-01-27T13:38:00.000-08:002012-01-27T13:41:02.462-08:00This Mama's Shakin' Things Up...<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I really wanted to title this post, "I'm Taking Hostages," but somehow that seemed completely inappropriate and I was afraid some well-meaning friends would become concerned and I would find a S.W.A.T. team on my doorstep. I'll clarify. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">We've had sort of a clutter issue at the Jackson house. Lately, I've found myself tripping over dolls and the accompanying accessories, legos, books, shoes, slinkys and more. I also found myself having to remind the kiddos multiple times to put things away, only to find them a few minutes later, in the middle of the chaos playing and *gasp* getting out even more items!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">We had two problems: 1) they were not following directions and </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">2) I had created a pattern where they expected me to run around reminding them of what they should be doing until I became frustrated and picked things up myself.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The other day during rest time, I was <strike>wasting time</strike> relaxing and looking on Pinterest when I noticed a friend's pin. It was an idea for getting your children to pick up their own things. This mom created a 'ransom' box. If her children did not pick up their things when asked, she simply put them in the ransom box. If they wanted to have those items back, they had to complete a task in order to redeem those items.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">That was a huge light bulb moment for me. So, yesterday I asked my children to pick up their toys. Unfortunately, they didn't pick up everything. I got them both ready for rest time, and once they were asleep, I set about taking hostages:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCrwiTkCM-eZNWlRdayxQx20fS3H13TH7E5eWlc-x4VNZi6byQVipI_9AUh71-ATYXpjZ-zvoeTGz4iICQHtOAydh3hOzQ9JO6aqvM37-KwPF7aDz9nzDUWKXXETF5yUkraOPLRknFgg/s1600/pics+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCrwiTkCM-eZNWlRdayxQx20fS3H13TH7E5eWlc-x4VNZi6byQVipI_9AUh71-ATYXpjZ-zvoeTGz4iICQHtOAydh3hOzQ9JO6aqvM37-KwPF7aDz9nzDUWKXXETF5yUkraOPLRknFgg/s400/pics+019.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">And wrote the kiddos a ransom note:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MIpa4H-zxQlAtwYQSLgpAlDMFosVnP1VLYX4-s7ZwTcjY1eKy16C_k17HF1CqiaU4vu33uTjBE7S_UMWppDkMOJqKfJNnjm2POGCpmijGsXguFjl9iqnwJEWZr3QEnyP3SDNbM6o8JE/s1600/pics+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MIpa4H-zxQlAtwYQSLgpAlDMFosVnP1VLYX4-s7ZwTcjY1eKy16C_k17HF1CqiaU4vu33uTjBE7S_UMWppDkMOJqKfJNnjm2POGCpmijGsXguFjl9iqnwJEWZr3QEnyP3SDNbM6o8JE/s640/pics+020.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">When my wee ones got up, I gently explained the situation and what they would have to do to redeem their beloved toys. When I got to the task of putting away all of the shoes that had collected near the backdoor, the little Mr. exclaimed, "But, mooooooooooom! Those aren't my shoes! Why do I have to put them away? That's not fair!" </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I simply smiled and said, "You're right buddy. You know, I was thinking the exact same thing as I was picking up your toys today."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The rest of the time, they did their assigned tasks with kindness and zero complaining, then the three of us worked together to put away the redeemed toys.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">When we were all done we talked about what it meant to be redeemed. I shared with them how we should have to pay the price for our own sin, but instead God sent Jesus as our Redeemer. Jesus paid the price for our sin so we wouldn't have to. I explained that we are sort of like hostages to our own sin, and the only person who can free us is Jesus. The little Mr. really liked the idea of Jesus in the role of hero. But that's what HE is right?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, back to the box...it's sitting in plain view at the moment and so far there are no hostages. A success? Maybe. A good friend laughed as I shared this idea with her and said, "You know it's a good possibility this could backfire right?" I wasn't following how this could go awry until she said, "One of these days you are going to find your favorite shoes in that box, and who knows what your kids are going to make you do in order to get them back."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</span></div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-8842237712737057602012-01-23T12:28:00.000-08:002012-01-23T12:34:40.467-08:00Meatless Monday...Let's Talk Gnocchi<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Before moving to Iowa in 2003, I had never heard of gnocchi. In fact, I was not food adventurous at all. </span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">My first Spring in Iowa, I decided to do some networking and volunteer for Wine Fest (hosted by Meredith Corporation...aka the HQ of Better Homes and Garden Mag). It was the first year of the annual event, and I was selfishly hoping to get some face time with a few Meredith Corporation big wigs and hopefully land a sweet writing job. Neither of which happened.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I was assigned the task of welcoming the guest chefs and fetching their needs. Had I been a true foodie, I would have known who each of them were and been salivating at the chance for them to sign my cookbook...but, alas, I was clueless except for Oprah's chef Art Smith, and unfortunately I wasn't assigned to him. </span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, as I watched the first chef expertly make a batch of her famous cioppino, (which, by the way stunk up the joint), and talking of her time spent in northern Italy, I looked down at my syllabus to see that the next chef was making 'gnocchi'. What the heck? Never heard of it, and all I cared was that it smelled nothing like the fishy cioppino that was already making my hair reek. </span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">As cioppino lady cleared out, a young man stepped in, air kissed both of her cheeks and gave her some sort of Italian greeting before displaying is array of cooking gadgets. As he began his demonstration, I soon discovered, gnocchi are a little potato dumpling regarded as a pasta in Italy. He peeled, diced, and boiled potatoes for the gnocchi, all the while talking of his tutelage under Lidia Bastianich, and totally losing me when he pulled out his little wooden gnocchi board and began rolling the little dumplings one by one down the board and into the boiling water. Delicious as these little dumplings were, it was so much work! I resigned myself to enjoying gnocchi only at various restaurants (which, if you haven't tried it, do! So delicious and worth the calorie splurge!). </span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Recently, I found a recipe for gnocchi on Pinterest, and decided to give it a try. The recipe called for pumpkin as the non-traditional star ingredient instead of potatoes, which cut out a majority of the work of peeling, chopping, boiling and ricing potatoes. I was a bit skeptical at first, but the result was a light, savory dumpling equally as good as it's sister potato gnocchi with far less time and work involved. It was so easy that a little helper even got in on the fun... </span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvQ39rlDyOKfyGeH5kep9qrKTcbnwVoN_KOpGbswOGACPdPCWtcTfJ6kOeByPbzqTEssbSiRqd1f0vILI0AxOq-9qzLq8rUsoKazxRZa8wBVax9BZaxXSvLV8qpWdicNeC2_MXiPDJ2k/s1600/pumpkin+gnocchi+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvQ39rlDyOKfyGeH5kep9qrKTcbnwVoN_KOpGbswOGACPdPCWtcTfJ6kOeByPbzqTEssbSiRqd1f0vILI0AxOq-9qzLq8rUsoKazxRZa8wBVax9BZaxXSvLV8qpWdicNeC2_MXiPDJ2k/s640/pumpkin+gnocchi+collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Believe me, making this gnocchi is just as easy as she makes it look...let's get started!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pumpkin Gnocchi </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1/2 C. skim milk ricotta</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1/2 C. canned pumpkin</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1/2 C. shredded parmesan cheese </span>(I used kraft parmesan/asiago blend)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 large egg yolk</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 tsp. lemon zest</span> (plus extra for garnish)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 tsp. kosher salt</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 C. sifted flour </span>(I used white whole wheat--but regular flour is fine)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">4 Tbsp. butter divided</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">2 Tbsp. thinly sliced fresh sage</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Preheat oven to 200F</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">1)Combine ricotta, pumpkin, parmesan, yolk, zest and salt in a large bowl. Mix well. Sprinkle in half of the flour and gently turn with a spatula a few times. Add in remaining flour, and knead until just combined. Too much kneading will make the gnocchi tough.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">2)Dust a clean, dry surface with a generous sprinkling of flour. Divide dough into four parts. Taking each dough ball, roll it into a long 1" in diameter log. Cut gnocchi into 1" pieces. Repeat with remaining dough.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">3) Using 1 tablespoon of butter for each batch, heat the butter in a large saute pan. When melted, add a fourth of the gnocchi to the pan and saute a couple of minutes, tossing the gnocchi in the pan until all sides begin to brown. Remove gnocchi and place in a large pan and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the rest of the gnocchi.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">4) When all gnocchi is cooked, wipe the pan clean with a paper towel and heat 2 Tbsp of butter (over medium heat). When melted, add the fresh sage and cook a couple of minutes until browned a bit (but not burnt!). Add 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar to the butter/sage and whisk until combined. I added another tablespoon of butter to top this off. Toss the gnocchi with the sauce and serve. This does not make a lot of sauce, it's just meant too lightly coat the gnocchi so it does not over power the flavor of the gnocchi.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">5) Serve with additional chopped sage and shaved parmesan cheese.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426684569191560847.post-71300856908134058972012-01-19T13:31:00.000-08:002012-01-19T13:31:21.338-08:00Thrifted Thursday...A Promised DIY<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Two weeks ago I blogged about <a href="http://nikolejackson.blogspot.com/2012/01/thrifted-thursday60-degrees-in-january.html">this blazer</a> promising a tutorial on how I tailored it to better fit my body. Well, I've never considered myself a particularly prompt person, but better late than never right?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Brief history: bought the blazer at a thrift store last year ($4!), but it hit me about six inches below my hips, which I wasn't crazy about. I'm 5'4, so it really wasn't doing me any favors at that length. Unfortunately, for the last year it has been sitting in my closet. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ifMetrjP2NbI6EJDO3VuZ6mv4wsi5FqR2yqJdJk-LfzwUV8ZysnOp6Vodg89uz-EkEVuWmnxzc6ijayXpTyDY1KMsDtnpPeIB4ZKSeFdSjoARUxUmBsirVskYD6JVZYF9Ps1pNbtUEM/s320/pics+903.jpg" /> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I really hated to have the blazer just sitting there, but I couldn't part with it either. I decided that it would have to be tailored...and preferably by me to save some dollars. </span> <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I found some photos on Pinterest, which renewed my hope that I could make the blazer work for me with a bit of tweaking:</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahKZmZvc5wX6ZihfAnlMv5Tsb1q9DITSCQlO5Ud2txje76ajnskWSwPFsLLwVVqDvsfQNSoFSJJxdqkm45z9LSXrY2XN8mwXq9Evba4m6650RenxxEIAxhwbvt0cXUPBvJZsI0z7BjKc/s1600/blazer+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahKZmZvc5wX6ZihfAnlMv5Tsb1q9DITSCQlO5Ud2txje76ajnskWSwPFsLLwVVqDvsfQNSoFSJJxdqkm45z9LSXrY2XN8mwXq9Evba4m6650RenxxEIAxhwbvt0cXUPBvJZsI0z7BjKc/s640/blazer+collage.jpg" width="640" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Using a blazer I already owned that was a length I liked, I turned my navy blazer inside out, and laid the 'pattern' blazer on top: </span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaI2bO_VdLXaSYv7ulkzU-nD8UGL5w_BRc4f6eFjrbQEzjG2ShCQTGe67ldqU37FzCqo6gcvX5iPpd_msOUAbhbC5dCPhGUMBJgRYh_0u7weQAtiXRau6LhCcw60labENWYb4Pqc2OUQM/s1600/pics+3066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaI2bO_VdLXaSYv7ulkzU-nD8UGL5w_BRc4f6eFjrbQEzjG2ShCQTGe67ldqU37FzCqo6gcvX5iPpd_msOUAbhbC5dCPhGUMBJgRYh_0u7weQAtiXRau6LhCcw60labENWYb4Pqc2OUQM/s320/pics+3066.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Using the top blazer as a template, I pinned the bottom blazer to the length I wanted. I did not make any cuts, so I could be sure everything was right where I wanted it before making any permanent decisions. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Next, I sewed the new hemline right along the line of pins, removing the pins as I went along </span>(I wish I had taken a picture of this, but I'm not one who can work and photograph at the same time...ya know?). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm not going to lie...it took me twice before I got the hemline right, which made me happy I hadn't made any cuts yet. I just simply used my seam ripper to remove the stitches and then started again. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">After I got the hemline where I wanted it, I trimmed off the excess fabric and ironed everything down so it laid nice and flat.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I did not need to take in the sides or sleeves as the blazer fit great in those areas, but had I needed to, I would have followed the same guideline: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">1)sew the new seams first</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">2) use a seam ripper to remove the old seams</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">3)cut off the excess fabric. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">4) Iron down new seams to lie flat</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's probably not the way a true seamstress would do it, but it made it more error proof for me.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here is the before and after:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEEE10zRexZIa88sdbuHDgVwo9CACZ7-H6moAGa7nnfoWgtzuZl6SlDqwmr0blq78oxdLWYuVKLwmijkqwakdjDRkRGkTQOeqpSwlzvenGz-UqiO66ZF8d5Ql8fDWTP7oBDJPpTDGyok/s1600/blazer+before+and+after+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEEE10zRexZIa88sdbuHDgVwo9CACZ7-H6moAGa7nnfoWgtzuZl6SlDqwmr0blq78oxdLWYuVKLwmijkqwakdjDRkRGkTQOeqpSwlzvenGz-UqiO66ZF8d5Ql8fDWTP7oBDJPpTDGyok/s640/blazer+before+and+after+collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Blazer: thrifted/DIY</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Brown Boots: thrifted Plato's closet </span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am so happy with the way this project turned out, and now I wear the blazer all the time! It's probably my favorite and most versatile clothing item! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Happy Thursday! </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01807425976554201898noreply@blogger.com3