Easter Blessings

        Easter has recently become one of my favorite holidays. (I know I say that about every holiday, but this year Easter has been especially meaningful for me.) Yesterday we celebrated the Easter EGGstravaganza at the church with almost 100 kids! A very fun day of pancakes, egg hunting, crafts, bounce house, games, and a puppet show. This year I had the opportunity to host the puppet show and it was great. Working with our puppets is always fun, especially when they start ad-libing. I definitely had to keep from laughing a few times! The main message was based off m&ms.... Miracle of Mercy, Worthy of Worship, Eternal Life for Everyone, and 3 days in the tomb (or God is 3 in one). If you keep turning a package of m&ms they'll become w's, e's, and 3's. The kids were a little mesmerized by that idea, but I think the parents thought it was clever. It was such a joy to watch the children's faces as they enjoyed the puppet show and hopefully learned something about Jesus!

        Easter is a holiday that I haven't been home for in over 5 years. It was always right after spring break so it didn't make sense to travel back to California for such a short weekend. I have spent this holiday in many ways, with various family members and friends, but one thing that has been consistent is my opportunity to worship at First Free Methodist Church on this special morning. I have been reflecting lately on how blessed I am to be surrounded by a community that loves and cares for me as one of their own. Whether it is through a hug or a kind word, I know that there are many people who care for me (and whom I care for as well). I may not have friends who are my age or who are in a similar life situation, but the beauty of community is that it can be made out of any group of people who are intentional about loving each other and living life together. Better yet, living life together with the common purpose of loving Jesus and following him daily.

Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Cuddles and Easter time

Monday nap times are the best because the kiddos are all worn out from the weekend and from not taking naps for their parents at home. We're required to provide a two hour rest period, but there is usually at least one or two children who don't ever fall asleep. My co-teachers and I try and use nap time to prepare lessons, clean toys, and get things done around the classroom. But today was a little different. All the kiddos were sleeping so we definitely could have gotten things done, but I felt like we were in a good place for the week. As I sat and watched the children sleep I felt like a proud parent filled with love. Some of the kids were rolling around a lot like they were having trouble, a few were coughing, and one little boy kept making frustrated faces like he was having a crazy dream. It was all that I could do to not pick them up and just hold them while they slept! One little girl did wake up and came crawling into my lap for a few cuddles and ended up going back to sleep. Probably one of my favorite moments of today. Post-nap cuddles are the best.

I really do love my kids at work like they were my own. After all, I spend 30 or more hours a week with them! Today we had chapel and afterwards one my boys kept telling me, "Jesus rode on a donkey. Jesus rode on a donkey because it is Easter time and Jesus is here!" It was so sweet. We did a stained glass window (tissue paper) art project and I decorated the classroom windows with flowers and eggs. Tomorrow we're doing a sensory table with Easter grass, eggs, bugs, animals, and whatever else we can find to throw in there. Easter has definitely arrived in the Orange Giraffe class! 

A Joyful Vacation

This past week I was blessed with the opportunity to take a trip back east and visit many people who are near and dear to my heart.

I started my trip in Boston with my bestie for life, Kayla. I can't believe we met so long ago and have continued to be such good friends no matter where life takes us. We could go months without seeing each other or even talking and when we're together again it's like no time has passed at all. She is a huge blessing in my life and I'm so sad there is a whole country between us, but I know we will always be there for each other.

From Boston, I traveled to Connecticut where I got to meet my sweet baby "niece" and spend the day with some family I don't see very often. Growing up we would travel back to New York/Connecticut at least 2 or 3 times a year to visit my grandparents and dad's side of the family. I remember loving these trips and now wish that we weren't so far apart. It's fun to hear stories of my grandparents or things that happened when my aunts and uncles were growing up. There's just something about getting together with family that makes my heart happy.

I ended my quick trip with a stop in Philadelphia where I spent the day with the Gupta family. This sweet family encourages me so much and I'm so thankful for their continued friendship even though we're far away now. The Guptas are always in my prayers, being on the move and with little Libby going through chemo. I wish I was closer to help babysit and get good advice (on just about everything) from Amy :)

Lemon Bars

Tonight is one of my favorite nights on TV- Oscar's night! I'm so excited to watch. I wanted to make something different for a sweet treat and found a variety of easy recipes for lemon bars on pinterest. Some used lemon curd, some lemon creme pie filling, some added water, but I just stuck with two basic ingredients: angel food cake mix and a can of lemon pie filling. That's right, easiest dessert ever!

Ta-da! Once it's cool you can sprinkle with powdered sugar and then cut into squares.

I've never used angel food cake mix before, but it is very powdery! As I was mixing the dry ingredients were flying everywhere. When I was done my kitchen looked like I was installing drywall. Again though, let me reiterate how easy this sweet treat is. Once the TWO ingredients are combined, pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for about 25 minutes at 350, until it browns around the edges and pulls away from the side of the pan.

Don't be expecting traditional lemon bars, since there is no crust or cream cheese or anything else you may find in a bakery lemon bar. But they are very light and delicious! Almost like a lemon sponge cake, lighter than pound cake but heavier than angel food cake. I am going to have to share them otherwise I will eat every single one... Look out NQACC, the break room will have some yummy treats tomorrow.

And for dinner, currently in the oven....Cheesy Chicken Tator Tot Casserole. Thanks to The Country Cook. Can't wait to try this tator tot creation and watch the Academy Awards!

Even The Winter

Whenever I am feeling down or find all kinds of other music annoying, I can always listen to Audrey Assad and connect with the words that she is singing. I love her songs "Known" and "Sparrow" but recently I have been listening to "Even the Winter" a lot. Part of that has to do with the fact that I've gotten to that time of year where I'm ready for spring, but it's still going to be winter for a while longer.

Another part of it is that I feel like I am currently in a winter phase of life. There are a lot of good things about winter, but you don't want the winter to last forever. For example, things like snow and darkness are great because then you can put a fire in the fireplace and watch a movie snuggled up on the couch. But what about flip flops and going to the beach? I am in that strange in between phase of life- I've graduated from college, but am not sure exactly where the Lord will lead me in my life. Many of my friends have gotten married and/or moved away. My days are now filled with 3 year olds and my schedule is very much the same each day. No more classes, meetings, clubs, being surrounded by friends 24-7. 

There is an endless stream of questions running through my head at all times: Will I stay in Seattle forever? Will I move lots of times? How long will I keep my current job for? Should I be looking for a different job? Which church community is the best for me to be a part of? When will I get married? How old will I be when I become a mom? When is the next time I will be in California? On and on and on... Just a different phase of life, full of unknowns. This phase will not last forever, but, just like the winter, it seems at times like the spring will never come.

Even The Winter
What if we find ourselves beneath the snow?
Our warmest words all frozen in our throats?
And all we feel is left out in the cold?
You and I?

What if the days grow short and lose their light?
What if the coals burn black and the embers die?
And we can't find each other in the night?
You and I?

Well, even the winter won't last forever
We'll see the morning and we'll feel the sun
We'll wake up in April, ready and able
Holding the seeds and soil of our love, of our love

What if the ice we tread is just too thin?
What if we can't escape the squall we're in?
What if our hearts of stone are permanent?
You and I
Even the winter won't last forever
We'll see the morning, we'll feel the sun
We'll wake up in April, ready and able
Sowing the seeds in the soil of our love, of our love

What if the spring comes soon and we're surprised?
What if the seasons help us realize, some things are only proven over time?
You know

Even the winter won't last forever
We'll see the morning, we'll feel the sun
We'll wake up in April, ready and able
Sowing the seeds in the soil
Of our love

Even the darkness cannot disarm us
We'll break up the earth, because we know
that it's worth it
Sowing the seeds in the soil of our love.

Tonight's Dinner

What can you do with a half-full bag of small sweet potatoes? Well I'm sure there is a long answer to that question, but I decided to roast mine for dinner tonight following a recipe I found on pinterest and they were SO good. I believe the exact phrase used was "Make these again!!" The recipe can be found at Teenie Cakes. Since I started with a side dish I had to work backwards to figure out what kind of meat I was going to make...chicken goes well with sweet potatoes...nah, don't want chicken again. Turkey goes well with sweet potatoes (Thanksgiving!)...nahh, that would take too long. Pork chops! Super easy! And I found a yummy recipe at The Pioneer Woman, making things even easier. I just needed one more thing...what goes with pork chops? Apples! Baked apples with butter and brown sugar to be exact.

What would I do without the internet with me at all times to look up recipes and determine what I will make for dinner? If I don't already have a plan, it gets to be about 1 or 2 and I start browsing my phone while the kiddos nap at work. And I always come up with something that sounds good! Without pinterest and Google search I'd have to wait 'til I got home and actually look things up in a cookbook...crazy.

What do you do on a 3 day weekend?

My weekend started out Friday night by going to see my brother and his improv  group at Seattle U. They really are quite hilarious. I was thinking of staying home because I was so tired from a busy week at work, but I'm glad I went to see him! Then Saturday was my super productive day. I cleaned EVERYTHING- bathroom, kitchen, living room, bedroom, did laundry, changed sheets, put clothes away, dusted, vacuumed, and more. It felt so good to get everything cleaned up (and now I don't want to touch or use anything that would mess it all up!) The rest of the weekend included church, clearing up the DVR by finally watching the Grammy's and a few other shows, reading (Sticky Faith by Kara Powell and Chap Clark and Love Times Three by the Dargers), shopping, and sleeping! Saturday afternoon I turned to pinterest as I thought of what I should make for dinner and this is the result...

Recipe #1 Crock Pot Shredded Chicken

While this post is about the most recent weekend, I actually made this chicken last weekend. It turned out SO well. The recipe can be found here. It was super easy to just throw it all in the crockpot and let it cook for a few hours. When it was done I shredded it up and bagged it for lunches and put a few in the freezer.

Recipe #2 Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Now anyone who knows me knows that I rarely follow a recipe exactly step by step. (I've inherited that trait from my mom. Love you, mom!) We'll start with the fact that I didn't do this in the crock pot, I did it in a soup pot on the back of the stove. I also omitted the bell pepper (because I don't like them) and used the shredded chicken I had put in the freezer last weekend. The real recipe can be found here. I also made the honey jalapeño cornbread, found at the same site. This dinner got a big thumbs up from Luke and I've got leftovers in the fridge and freezer to take for lunches this week!

Recipe #3 M&M Samoa Blondies

Naturally, when I start to make dinner my mind jumps to what I'm going to make for dessert. So I head to pinterest and look in my cupboard for what I can create out of the ingredients I have. I found coconut in the freezer and thought I remembered a recipe for samoa blondies on pinterest. SO good! Samoas are some of my favorite girl scout cookies and these cookie bars have a very similar taste. The recipe can be found at Six Sisters' Stuff (one of my favorite places to find new recipes!)

I really love to cook and bake and I love sharing the things I make with others. Pinterest is a great place to find new recipes to try and I find myself trying at least one new recipe a week, sometimes more. I'm thankful for friends and family who are always willing to help me eat the things I create. 

I'm especially thankful for this guy who always eats everything I make! This was taken on Thursday night before we went out for Valentine's Day at BluWater Bistro. I am a blessed girl :)