Thanksgiving is less than a week away, and I've been reminded lately that it is important to realize what I am given, and to be grateful for it! So here is a list of things I'm thankful for:
* A new life growing inside of me. So far, we have avoided sickness, and besides feeling extremely tired and only a tiny bit nauseous, I'm doing fine! (Things could be a lot worse!)
* My family. JT is a great husband, and Maddie is a super, well-behaved toddler.
* My home. I have shelter, and a place to decorate. :)
* Time to rest. It isn't often that people really have time to rest these days, but God has provided me with more time to rest these past few weeks, and I'm SO grateful for that!
* Friends. I have awesome friends that God has put in my life, and I'm thankful for them! I usually have a hard time making friends with girls, but I have some amazing girl friends in my life now!
* The chance to visit my family next month! We're going to Washington for Christmas this year, and I cannot WAIT! I rarely get to visit with my extended family and my parents, so I'm completely elated for this trip! Plus, Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday.
Just a short list of what I'm thankful for today. What are YOU thankful for?
November 20, 2009
November 17, 2009
i have a reason for being MIA
I've been feeling weary, fatigued, nauseous, gross, tired, lazy, moody, and a lack of energy. First trimesters are like that. I'M PREGNANT! 9 weeks along, and due on June 22, 2010. Crazy!
I apologize for not posting much lately, but now you know why, and I'd appreciate prayers for health and safety during this pregnancy. :) I'm also looking forward to the second trimester when I'll hopefully have a boost of energy and can get back to real life!
I apologize for not posting much lately, but now you know why, and I'd appreciate prayers for health and safety during this pregnancy. :) I'm also looking forward to the second trimester when I'll hopefully have a boost of energy and can get back to real life!
November 2, 2009
volleyball champs
Here are some pictures from the final tournament that my BRCS team won. It was a whirlwind of a season, but I loved every moment of it. The next volleyball season starts in just a few weeks!
Number ONE!
Maddie wanted to get in the picture...
Coaches in action. Sort of.
See Maddie? She loved stretching with the girls.
Again, stretching.
Number ONE!
Maddie wanted to get in the picture...
Coaches in action. Sort of.
See Maddie? She loved stretching with the girls.
Again, stretching.
October 28, 2009
a golden birthday
So, ever since I realized I was having a birthday coming up (in fact, it is today!!), I've been telling my friends that it is my Golden Birthday, which means I'm turning 28 on the 28th. I am a big dork, and have been looking forward to this particular birthday my whole life -- or at least since I can remember. So after today, what do I look forward to? Ha.
Anne Geddes sent me this cute birthday greeting this morning...
And for the rest of the day, I will have the song that Michael Jackson sang on The Simpsons years ago -- "Lisa, its your birthday. Happy birthday, Lisa." -- in my head. Remember it? Oh yeah, now its in your head too!
Here's to a Happy Golden Birthday!
Anne Geddes sent me this cute birthday greeting this morning...
And for the rest of the day, I will have the song that Michael Jackson sang on The Simpsons years ago -- "Lisa, its your birthday. Happy birthday, Lisa." -- in my head. Remember it? Oh yeah, now its in your head too!
Here's to a Happy Golden Birthday!
October 27, 2009
last day at two-seven
Life has started to slow down for the time being, so instead of sitting on the computer like I usually do, I've been relaxing, reading, watching movies, playing with Maddie, and generally taking it easy.
Club volleyball will start up again soon (probably right after Thanksgiving?), and life will again become hectic, but in a good way. The holidays will be here before we know it!
Time flies. And today is my last day as a 27-year-old. I'm not sure how to feel. I know I'm in my 20's and I should be having the time of my life. But, am I? I don't know. Perhaps I'll look back on my life one day and say that, yes, in fact, I did have a great time during my 20's, but I feel like it is going by waaaaaaay too fast!
So, to celebrate my youth, I decided to step into the Mac PhotoBooth and have fun with Maddie...
Can I just tell you I was laughing so hard I was crying (hence the smudged mascara)? Hi.Larious.
Club volleyball will start up again soon (probably right after Thanksgiving?), and life will again become hectic, but in a good way. The holidays will be here before we know it!
Time flies. And today is my last day as a 27-year-old. I'm not sure how to feel. I know I'm in my 20's and I should be having the time of my life. But, am I? I don't know. Perhaps I'll look back on my life one day and say that, yes, in fact, I did have a great time during my 20's, but I feel like it is going by waaaaaaay too fast!
So, to celebrate my youth, I decided to step into the Mac PhotoBooth and have fun with Maddie...
Can I just tell you I was laughing so hard I was crying (hence the smudged mascara)? Hi.Larious.
October 23, 2009
how to create a button for your blog
I posted yesterday about the new buttons I made for my blog, and got a request for how to do that. So here is a quick and easy tutorial...
1. Open up your favorite software for designing. I have a Macbook, so I use Pages (iWork), but you could certainly use Photoshop, Paint, or even Word. Any software that you can insert photos and text into.
2. Go to page setup and change the size of the document to 1" x 1" (actually, I used 1.5" x 1.5"). This is the size you want your button to be.
3. Insert a photo or graphic of choice, and crop as desired.
4. Add a text box and put in your wording of choice. My buttons link to different categories on my blog, so I put my category labels in my buttons. You can now add a background color (I used white) and set the opacity so it is easier to read and lets in a bit of the graphic, too. (I set my opacity at 70%.)
5. Save the document. (With Pages, I had to print it to PDF, then open the PDF and save it as a JPEG. Too many steps, in my opinion, but it works!) In the end, you want the button saved as a JPEG file, so if you can do that directly from your design software, that is great!
6. Now go to Flickr or another online photo application. Upload your button.
7. Now in Blogger, go to your layout and add the HTML widget. You'll need to write some HTML code to make this work. Here is an example:
This is an example for just one button. The "center" tags make it centered in the column. The "br" tags add spaces between each button. One of those brings it to the next line, and the second one adds the space. Sort of like hitting the "enter" key twice. If you insert more than one button, you'll want to put the "/center" tag at the very end.
When you link to the button on Flickr, use the link that goes directly to the photo. It should end in ".jpg".
8. Publish to your blog! Make sure you check the links by clicking on each button. If it doesn't work, you'll need to check your code and make sure you put the correct links in.
If you have questions, just comment!
1. Open up your favorite software for designing. I have a Macbook, so I use Pages (iWork), but you could certainly use Photoshop, Paint, or even Word. Any software that you can insert photos and text into.
2. Go to page setup and change the size of the document to 1" x 1" (actually, I used 1.5" x 1.5"). This is the size you want your button to be.
3. Insert a photo or graphic of choice, and crop as desired.
4. Add a text box and put in your wording of choice. My buttons link to different categories on my blog, so I put my category labels in my buttons. You can now add a background color (I used white) and set the opacity so it is easier to read and lets in a bit of the graphic, too. (I set my opacity at 70%.)
5. Save the document. (With Pages, I had to print it to PDF, then open the PDF and save it as a JPEG. Too many steps, in my opinion, but it works!) In the end, you want the button saved as a JPEG file, so if you can do that directly from your design software, that is great!
6. Now go to Flickr or another online photo application. Upload your button.
7. Now in Blogger, go to your layout and add the HTML widget. You'll need to write some HTML code to make this work. Here is an example:
This is an example for just one button. The "center" tags make it centered in the column. The "br" tags add spaces between each button. One of those brings it to the next line, and the second one adds the space. Sort of like hitting the "enter" key twice. If you insert more than one button, you'll want to put the "/center" tag at the very end.
When you link to the button on Flickr, use the link that goes directly to the photo. It should end in ".jpg".
8. Publish to your blog! Make sure you check the links by clicking on each button. If it doesn't work, you'll need to check your code and make sure you put the correct links in.
If you have questions, just comment!
October 22, 2009
i love me some blog candy
A lot of cool blogs I read (which are linked to in the right column of this blog) have their categories split up nicely with buttons that link to each category. So I created my own buttons that link to my own categories. They are at the top of the right column... see? Now it will be easier for you, my faithful readers, to navigate around and pick and choose which categories you'd like to visit.
I went back quite a few posts and updated all my posts to include categories (or in web lingo, "labels" or "tags") in each post because I hadn't been doing that from the beginning. In fact, when I first started this blog, it was only because I was told I would have fun with it, and that it was a good idea because I do not live close to my family. So it started way back when with hardly a thought, and now I dare say I'm addicted to blogging!
Anyway... if you're feeling like straying from the main page and want to check out, say, DIY stuff I've posted about, click on the DIY button and fill your brain with all my DIY projects. I know, you're giddy!
I may add more buttons later as more categories become more popular, but this should suffice for the time being. Enjoy!
I went back quite a few posts and updated all my posts to include categories (or in web lingo, "labels" or "tags") in each post because I hadn't been doing that from the beginning. In fact, when I first started this blog, it was only because I was told I would have fun with it, and that it was a good idea because I do not live close to my family. So it started way back when with hardly a thought, and now I dare say I'm addicted to blogging!
Anyway... if you're feeling like straying from the main page and want to check out, say, DIY stuff I've posted about, click on the DIY button and fill your brain with all my DIY projects. I know, you're giddy!
I may add more buttons later as more categories become more popular, but this should suffice for the time being. Enjoy!
October 20, 2009
okay, seriously, leave me alone
I hate spammers.
They take a good thing -- the internet -- and use it for bad... and dare I say, evil. How do you sleep at night, knowing you are scamming people and ruining their online experiences? Why can't we just all get along?
If you are a spammer -- and I mean anywhere, like Facebook, Twitter, email, anywhere -- do you spam in person, too? Do you walk up to strangers and shove strange messages in their pockets without them knowing, or do you shout at them about totally inappropriate subject matter? Just ridiculous. I'M SICK OF IT!
Thank you.
They take a good thing -- the internet -- and use it for bad... and dare I say, evil. How do you sleep at night, knowing you are scamming people and ruining their online experiences? Why can't we just all get along?
If you are a spammer -- and I mean anywhere, like Facebook, Twitter, email, anywhere -- do you spam in person, too? Do you walk up to strangers and shove strange messages in their pockets without them knowing, or do you shout at them about totally inappropriate subject matter? Just ridiculous. I'M SICK OF IT!
Thank you.
October 19, 2009
one of the best soups i've ever tasted
I have made this soup a couple of times, always for a nice get together with friends, and it has gotten rave reviews every time! It is easy, fairly fast, delicious, and warm. What's not to like about that?
I decided to share the recipe. I actually got it out of Better Homes & Gardens a while back, and it was labeled as a prize-tested recipe, and this particular recipe won $400! That is how good it is, folks.
TORTELLINI FLORENTINE SOUP
1 (9 oz.) pkg. refrigerated 3-cheese tortellini
2 (14 oz.) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz.) container refrigerated light Alfredo pasta sauce (you can use the jar stuff, too)
2 cups shredded deli-roasted chicken
1/2 cup oil-packed dried tomato strips, drained
3 cups lightly packed packaged fresh baby spinach
1 oz. Parmesan cheese, shaved or shredded (optional)
In 4-quart Dutch oven cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In the same Dutch oven combine broth and Alfredo sauce. Stir in chicken and tomato strips. Heat just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Add cooked tortellini and spinach to chicken mixture. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to heat through and wilt spinach. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Makes 6 servings.
------
I always serve this with rolls and some sort of salad. Yesterday, I made it with rolls and a harvest salad kit from the grocery store, which included dried cranberries, walnuts, and an apple cider vinaigrette dressing. YUM! Very fall, and very delicious. For dessert, we had pie. Are you salivating yet?
I decided to share the recipe. I actually got it out of Better Homes & Gardens a while back, and it was labeled as a prize-tested recipe, and this particular recipe won $400! That is how good it is, folks.
TORTELLINI FLORENTINE SOUP
1 (9 oz.) pkg. refrigerated 3-cheese tortellini
2 (14 oz.) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz.) container refrigerated light Alfredo pasta sauce (you can use the jar stuff, too)
2 cups shredded deli-roasted chicken
1/2 cup oil-packed dried tomato strips, drained
3 cups lightly packed packaged fresh baby spinach
1 oz. Parmesan cheese, shaved or shredded (optional)
In 4-quart Dutch oven cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In the same Dutch oven combine broth and Alfredo sauce. Stir in chicken and tomato strips. Heat just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Add cooked tortellini and spinach to chicken mixture. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to heat through and wilt spinach. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Makes 6 servings.
------
I always serve this with rolls and some sort of salad. Yesterday, I made it with rolls and a harvest salad kit from the grocery store, which included dried cranberries, walnuts, and an apple cider vinaigrette dressing. YUM! Very fall, and very delicious. For dessert, we had pie. Are you salivating yet?
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