89 Calorie Kitchen Soup

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!

As you probably already know, this past Christmas was my mine and Chris's first Christmas together as husband and wife. I had been looking forward to last week since Chris and I became engaged, and it definitely didn't let me down.

Our Christmas was filled with lots of shopping, seeing our family, witnessing two first Christmases with Chris's cousin's daughter and my cousin's son, opening presents, waking up on Christmas morning together for the first time, and TONS of food.

It was definitely a Christmas to remember!

******

I had warned Chris that I wouldn't be cooking much over the Christmas break. With us eating so much while celebrating with our families for the first part of the week, I didn't even want to think about cooking food for the rest of the week.

We ended up getting a few things at the grocery store to tide us over until 2014 to have on hand on days we weren't chowing down on Christmas goodies, including some things to make this easy soup that's super delicious. 

Of course, I found this recipe on Pinterest. I am happy to announce, though, that I received three cookbooks for Christmas! I'll tell you more about them later.

This soup is called the 89 Calorie Kitchen Soup, which immediately grabs my attention. Anything that is 89 calories that includes an entire meal will most definitely catch my eye, and I love soup when the weather starts to become chilly.

The greatest thing about this soup is you can clean out your kitchen with it.

I'm guessing that's why they call it a kitchen soup.

The recipe I found is a little confusing, just because it shows a picture of the ingredients with chicken broth, states that you use vegetable broth, and then has chicken stock listed in the actual recipe.

I used chicken broth.

I started with 6 cups of chicken broth in a large pot over medium-high heat, and then started adding a bunch of different things I had.

I tossed in two cans of diced tomatoes: one with Italian seasoning and one regular

Some cabbage I had chopped up

Five red potatoes that have been quartered 

A medium chopped onion 

A cup each of frozen corn, frozen green peas, and frozen lima beans (I threw in some more corn since that's Chris's favorite)

And finally, I took a pound of turkey sausage, cut it into 'moon' shapes, and tossed it in as well.

I topped it off with some salt and pepper, then put the lid on.

Here's the best part: you just let it simmer. That's it! I accidentally brought it to a boil, so it ended up softening the potatoes, cabbage and onions fairly quickly, but normally I just set it on medium-low and forget about it for a little while.

You can make more or less, depending on how many you're feeding. I go ahead and make as much as it calls for, that way we have something to eat for at least two days.

In fact, that's what I'm eating for lunch today!

Here's the recipe I used as a reference, but I don't think I'll need it anymore.

How hard is it to throw whatever into a pot of chicken broth and let it cook?

If you enjoy soup, I promise, this won't disappoint. You can probably brown some ground beef and use that instead of the turkey sausage, or make it completely vegetarian and not use any kind of meat. You can cater this recipe to satisfy your family in their favorite way.

You just can't beat it!

*******

I'm pretty pumped about the cookbooks I received this Christmas!

Funny thing, my husband and one of my students at the dance studio ended up getting me the exact same cookbook.

I guess great minds think alike!

The one I received two copies of is The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays. It's nothing but recipes for every holiday there is in America. It's absolutely fabulous! And it makes me so happy :)  I spent a good bit of time just browsing through it, trying to figure out which ones I'm going to attempt to make for all of the many occasions we will see in 2014. I tell ya, you can get lost in this cookbook for a while!

My husband also gave me Giada's Feel Good Food. I am actually super pumped about this one! It is full of healthy recipes that will fit into our busy schedule and will also satisfy our taste buds. It gives recipes for breakfast, juices and smoothies, lunch ideas, and, of course, many dinner options. My goal next week is to go through the entire book and pull out a few recipes to try in the next month or two. I also love how Giada talks about how her recipes are not a part of a diet, but are a lifestyle change. That fits perfectly into my goal for Chris and I as we try to live a little healthier this new year.

The last one I opened up for Christmas was Miss Kay's Duck Commander Kitchen. My inner child came out a little when I opened this one. Now, you're not going to find a healthy recipe in this one! But, oh my, does it have some amazing-looking food in it. There are also some recipes for squirrel that will probably go un-touched in my kitchen, and there's quite a few for duck that I'm not brave enough to even read, but there are so many pies and sides and fried chicken that I can't wait to get my hands on. It is also filled with pictures and stories from Miss Kay herself, which reveal just how down-to-earth and humble this woman is. Family is so very important to her, and you can feel it throughout the entire cookbook.

******

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, and I wish the absolute best as we welcome in 2014. There is no telling what 2014 may bring, but one thing is for sure, there is One who does not change as we see a new year and will continue to be the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It is He who brings the hope and peace that comes with January 1st, and is the reason I have faith that this year will happen just as He has planned.

 

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!

Luke 2:14 (NKJV)

That's a Fact, Jack!

I went to bed last night after reading on interview from GQ given by Phil Robertson, the duck hunt-loving father of A&E's hit television show 'Duck Dynasty.'

I woke up this morning to the news that he has been suspended indefinitely from appearing in future episodes of his own TV show.

All because of his viewpoint and outspokenness on homosexuality.

Here's the original article from GQ, and the article I read on E Online. You can gather your own thoughts after reading both and come up with your own viewpoint and opinion.

Of course, I'm going to share with you mine.

If you haven't had a chance to read the article (or you just don't feel like it), here's a little summary:

From what I can tell, a writer for GQ spent the day with Mr. Robertson at his Louisiana home and property, without any cameras, to get a personal interview with the star of Duck Dynasty. At some point in the interview, Mr. Robertson brought up the topic of homosexuality and the fact that he doesn't understand why a man would want to have sex with a man when he could have sex with a woman. He also commented that he thought it was a sin to practice homosexuality, as it states in the Bible. He is clear to express that he has a love for all humanity, but that this world is full of sin and we need to get rid of it.

Of course, there is much more that was said in the article, but I told you I was only going to summarize. As always, I encourage you to read the articles for yourself so you can understand exactly what was said!

Did you really think I was going to let this topic pass without throwing my two-cents in on here? Of course not! This kind of stuff is right up my alley :)

I think Chris and I have seen almost every episode Duck Dynasty has made. There's something about this family that you just can't help but love! Yes, I know there are some who say they cannot watch the show without feeling like their IQ has dropped 10 points.

I say you've lived in the city a little too long to appreciate this family and the circumstances they find themselves in (even if it is all staged).

Most of the episodes are about being a hunter, a redneck, or their duck call business, but all are family-friendly and wholesome. There's no cursing, no major fighting, nothing that I wouldn't let my young children watch. Every episode is full of family, laughter, love, and God.

That's Duck Dynasty, and that's the Robertson family off the camera, too.

So why would you expect something different?

I don't understand why people are shocked and in an uproar about Phil's viewpoints on homosexuality, especially A&E. It's pretty obvious he's an opinionated individual. You don't have to watch too many episodes to figure that one out. I feel like, out of all of the Robertson men, he's the most honest.

Well, maybe except for Uncle Si. He's pretty honest, too.

Mr. Robertson has never been ashamed of who he is, so why would he be ashamed to give his opinion on what he believes is wrong?

And why can't he? Why is he being punished for stating his opinion?

Because, according to this world we live in, he's 'politically incorrect.' He's an idiot who has no clue what he is talking about. He's offensive. He makes A&E look bad for placing him and his beliefs on television, because that doesn't work well with the 'status quo.' He's using his religion as a weapon.

He's flat-out wrong.

Since when did 'Freedom of Speech' and 'Freedom of Religion' exclude those who believe in the Bible? Since when did Christianity become offensive? Since when was it 'politically incorrect' to say you don't support things such as homosexuality? When did this world declare followers of Christ ignorant and intolerable, but expect Christians to be tolerant and act ignorant to other beliefs and viewpoints?

How did we let it get this out of control, and when did Hollywood start dictating what is right and what is wrong?

When we, as Christians, let them.

When we stopped being like Phil Robertson, and became what the world wanted us to be: silent.

It makes me so angry and frustrated when those who scream 'tolerate me and my views!' can't reciprocate the favor. There's a serious double-standard out there, but we did nothing to help ourselves. We went along with it, keeping our thoughts to ourselves and lowering our standards.

After all, these issues really aren't that bad, are they?

I'm just as guilty of this as the next person! I use the it-could-be-worse card all of the time and keep going on with what the world calls 'politically correct.' It's just easier that way.

Just a little warning: I'm about to get pretty personal. If you feel that knowing my personal beliefs will cause you to not like me or change your opinion of me, I'm very sorry to hear that. I'm even more sorry that you didn't know this about me before, though.

I am a Christian. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior when I was a sophomore in high school. I had come before the church when I was in 3rd grade to make a profession of faith and be baptized, but as I got older, I realized it didn't feel legit. I didn't feel like I had truly accepted the love and forgiveness of Jesus, so I came before the church again. I now fully believe that I am a follower of Christ, and that was the absolute best decision I have ever made.

My life hasn't been perfect. I haven't been perfect. I never will be perfect. I am a sinner who commits sins each and every day. I have been the judgmental Christian who thinks I'm better than those who aren't. I have put myself above others. I have walked by people who needed my help, and I didn't stop. I have gossiped, slandered, used God's name in vain, cursed, lied, cheated (not in a relationship), coveted, and numerous other sins that are no greater or worse than the next.

I have taken the back seat when I should've been more outspoken about my faith. I have seen things, listened to things, participated in things that did not bring God glory. I have tarnished my testimony. I have failed to be a 'good' Christian and uphold my end of Christian 'duties.' 

In no way, shape or form do I think my sins are any less evil than sins such as homosexuality. That doesn't mean I support homosexuality or think it's okay.

Do I hate homosexuals? Absolutely not!

Do I support the practice of homosexuality? Absolutely not.

I don't support homosexuality like I don't support polygamy, prostitution, human trafficking, adultery, divorce, pornography, strip clubs, etc. It takes away from Genesis 2:24:

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

 

Homosexuality, polygamy, prostitution, and everything else that goes against this verse is wrong to me. Anything that doesn't ultimately result in a relationship that includes one man and one woman being united together with nothing and no one else for the rest of their lives is against what the Bible teaches. Since I believe the Scripture is God-breathed (2nd Timothy 3:16), everything I read in the Bible is factual and what I base my beliefs on.

 

(Side note: I am not getting into the exceptions of Genesis 2:24, such as the death of a spouse, when one commits adultery, things of that nature. That's a different ballgame that doesn't fully pertain to this issue, so I'm not going to address it at this moment.)

 

Just because I believe anything outside of a marriage between a man and a woman is wrong, does not mean I hate those who don't believe like I do.

 

I think Phil Robertson stated it perfectly:

 

 

Couldn't have said it better myself, Phil.

 

The Robertson's, nor anyone else in America should be ridiculed and deemed 'politically incorrect' by stating their beliefs. Doesn't matter what religion it is, or the lack of any religion. You are entitled to your opinion as I am entitled to mine. You don't have to agree with me, and I don't have to agree with you.

 

But you are to respect me, just like I am to respect you.

 

This doesn't exist, though. Not on either side.

 

We have become a nation that has to be right, and has to be right at all costs. Whether you believe in Christianity, Catholicism, Buddhism, or Scientology, you feel your beliefs are correct. Because you believe you are correct, you want to share it with others. That's the natural thing to do, right?

 

But where we get it wrong is that we want to disrespect others and bad-mouth them when they disagree. We can't 'agree to disagree,' we HAVE to be right and we HAVE to convince others that we are right, too.

 

What's happened in our world today is that the more 'liberal' mindset has become louder than the more 'conservative,' so the 'conservatives' have been labeled 'intolerant' and need to keep their opinions to themselves.

 

Or they have been silenced.

 

Until now.

 

I am so thankful for Phil Robertson and what he stands for. His testimony is amazing, and so is his willingness to speak what he believes, no matter the costs. He has encouraged me to make a stand like him, and from what I can tell, he's encouraged many, many more to do the same.

 

It's time we put an end to this 'political correctness' and limiting who can practice the freedoms of speech and religion. It's time for Christians to take a stronger stand in our faith and not be bullied by those who disagree.

 

It's time to show love to all humanity, not just to those who stay in the status quo.

 

It's time to be more like Jesus and less like the world.

 

There is a lot of talk about boycotting this and boycotting that. As for me, I will not watch A&E, which is so tough. I may turn it on for Duck Dynasty, though. And I definitely will be supporting them more by paying a little bit closer attention to see if it's 'A&E' merchandise, or if it's 'Duck Commander' before I buy. 

 

While you are contemplating on your reaction to what I've written on this topic, enjoy some overnight meme sensations I discovered on Facebook :)

 

And just in case I don't post on here within the next week, Merry Christmas!!!

 

 

The Biggest Loser Revelation

Can you believe that, in exactly one week, we will be celebrating Christmas Day?!

Yeah, me neither.

Thanksgiving needs to come a little sooner next time, this losing-a-week-of-preparing business just isn't cutting it.

******

Last night, Chris and I watched The Biggest Loser while waiting for The Voice Finale to come on. I used to be an avid Biggest Loser fan and watched them a little religiously, but over the years, I kind of just stopped following it. It became too much of a game and not about the contestants losing weight, and I didn't particularly like that.

I haven't really watched this season, either, but usually nothing else is on during the 8:00pm hour on Tuesday nights. And since The Voice comes on the same channel, and we do watch it religiously (yay Tessanne!), we normally decide to watch The Biggest Loser as well.

I'm going to chase a small rabbit real quick, but I promise I'll tie it back to The Biggest Loser. Just bear with me for a moment.

24 years ago, I was super chunky.

And I mean super chunky.

I was a chunky baby!

There are plenty of pictures in my parents' house to back me up on that, too.

Unfortunately.

Once I became a toddler, I started thinning out. By the time I was in Pre-K, I was small. When 1st grade rolled around, I was a twig.

It's a little ridiculous how small I was.

I remember having to wear 'slims' in the little girls' department because the 'regulars' fell off of my waist.

Then puberty hit.

I got the thick thighs, big arms, and the struggle with weight.

I didn't get the acne, though, which was nice. But I didn't get boobs either. Not sure if I got the great end of that deal or not... 
I also lost my ability to do a toe-touch.

Now, I am not saying I became overweight! But being right around the 100 lb. mark, then, all of a sudden, being around the 125-130 lb. mark was a little bit of a shock and an adjustment for me. I wasn't used to having all of this extra 'stuff' to carry around and to get up in the air when I was dancing.

Because I danced 3-4 days a week, I was in pretty good shape. Even after womanhood showed up with its lovely gifts, I was able to manage it and stay decently fit. I wasn't really toned, but I definitely burned off just about everything I ate. That meant that I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted and I didn't have to worry about it.

Until I graduated high school and stopped dancing competitively.

From the time I graduated until now, my weight has been a thorn in my side. It feels like it only takes one or two Thirst Busters from Circle K for me to gain 5 lbs. One day, my jeans are loose. The next day, they are tight. No washing in between!

This is not including my monthly visit of Aunt Flow, either! Throw that into the mix, and I never knew what was going to fit in my closet from one day to the next.

It sucks being a woman sometimes.

The smallest I have been since I turned 18 was for the wedding and honeymoon. I wasn't tiny, but I didn't have to suck my gut in, which was a huge accomplishment I hadn't reached before. From the time we became engaged to the moment we left our wedding in the getaway vehicle, I was very conscious of what I was eating and drinking, and what I was doing to get into my dress without breaking the zipper. There were definitely times I ate things I shouldn't have and laid on a couch instead of lifting weights, but I usually felt guilty of it and made up for it somehow.

I'm married now. No more wedding dress. No more honeymoon. The ring is on my finger, it's too cold for a bikini, and I need to catch up on all of the amazing-ness I didn't enjoy while getting ready to walk down the isle.

No lie, I have gained at least 10 lbs. in 4 months. AT LEAST! My jeans are starting to not fit, I have bigger dimples in my thighs than the ones on Mario Lopez's face, I can't even suck my gut in without still having a gut!

Not to mention that I am back to my old pale self, which I have not seen in over 4 years.

The princess I looked like on my wedding day has now turned into a blob.

A pale blob.

A pale blob with dimple-covered thighs.

Not attractive.

Okay. Small rabbit has been chased, now back to the original topic.

The Biggest Loser season for this year is about second chances. From what I can gather, many of these used to be athletes. At least one was an Olympian and one was a competitive swimmer. All are battling obesity.

Something dawned on me while watching it last night: at the rate I'm going, I could end up on this show, too.

Hear me out before you start calling/texting/Facebooking/commenting on here.

Because I was so worried about being thin for the wedding, I have enjoyed being free of that stress a little too much.

I also haven't been cooking the healthiest meals in the world. Chris and I both love casseroles that have ground beef, pasta, and cheese in them. Not always the best combination when you want to get back in shape.

Trying to adjust to being a wife, a nanny, and a dance teacher has not left much time to hit the gym, and when I do have time, I just don't have the energy.

Or Chris doesn't have the energy.

Or we would just rather eat.

Either way, we don't get the exercise we need.

I thought if I wore gym clothes today, that I would actually work out while the baby slept.

I have eaten a bowl of oatmeal, two Little Debbie Santa brownies, a Snickers ice cream bar, and a Zaxby's Big Zak Snak.

Have I worked out? Nope. Not at all.

I've just been super comfy while I stuffed my face.

I am definitely not saying that I am obese. I joke around with Chris all of the time about how 'fat' I am, and part of me thinks that's true, but my common sense knows that there's a difference between being out of shape and being obese.

But if I don't change my habits, I'm well on my way to being more than just out of shape.

So, after Christmas, there's going to be a little bit of a life change in the Johns household. We're not going paleo or all-organic, but we will be making some alterations in our diet and exercise routines.

For instance, no longer will we make plans to go to the gym and then back out because we're tired. We are going! I'm not going to continue on de-grading myself because I don't look like I did 4 months ago, and not do anything about it.

I'm also going to start cooking more dinners that do not include so much processed food. It's amazing how many extra calories and other not-so-good-for-you stuff is tucked away in the shortcut-way of cooking!

But after Christmas, though. That would be cruel to start a diet when there's Christmas cookies calling my name.

I can definitely begin by not eating so much junk food in one day. That stuff makes me feel gross, anyways.

I am also going to start using the tanning bed again. Yes, I know it's not good for me and my skin. Yes, I know it's okay to be pale.

Being tan makes me feel pretty, so tan I will be!

All in all, I'm gaining weight and becoming lazy, so I'm going to change. I'm understanding that I don't have an excuse to be the shape I want to be in, and my body may not be able to be in the shape I would like for it to be in after we have kids. I have no excuse to skip the gym and grab a candy bar instead.

So, starting January 1st, this little Johns family will be headed to the gym and eating healthier. Whether Chris is ready for it, or not :)

******

I FINALLY have Chris's presents wrapped! Good thing, since he will be opening them in exactly a week.

I still can't believe December 25th is in 7 days...

The Christmas Lists of Old (and New)

Are we seriously 9 days away from Christmas?!

Why does this time of year have to go by so fast?

Every year, I tell myself I'm going to slow down, enjoy more cups of hot chocolate, watch a few more Christmas movies, and just enjoy everything that Christmastime brings.

Every year.

And every year, I look back and regret that I didn't do it. I didn't slow down, I have a box of hot chocolate still in the pantry, some movies are still in the original wrapper, and Christmas is gone for another 365 days.

It's just so sad!

So, I have 9 days to make the most of this 2013 Christmas season. And, believe me, I WILL make the most of it!

Get ready Chris, we're about to go Christmas-crazy this week.

*******

I have been asked quite a few times what I would like for Christmas by my family.

I feel like this was such an easy question when I was a kid. All I had to do was look through the JC Penney's Christmas catalogue, the Toys 'R' Us wish book, and watch a ton of TV to see what the new toys were. Toys 'R' Us even included little stickers I could place on what I wanted!

Toy retailers sure knew how to hypnotize and convince us children to NEED these cool toys. Not want, NEED.

Everywhere you looked, there was a Nintendo GameBoy or a Furby being shoved in your face. You couldn't help but feel like you weren't cool if you didn't have what they were advertising.

And our poor parents, who had to endure long waiting lists and Black Fridays, just to get that stupid toy we played with on Christmas morning, then put it in our play room to rot away.

Don't lie, you played with the 'got-to-have-it' toy for an hour or two, then completely forgot about it. We are all guilty of it.

I remember I wanted a Barbie doll that had a purple stand for selling your cute little bubble gum creations. You used large bubble gum pieces, pressed them in a mold, stuck a stick in it, and voila, you have a little terrier-looking dog bubble gum pop that you could place in the stand for all to see.

I didn't know this little fact of using already-made bubble gum. I thought you made the bubble gum, too.

I was, like, 5. I was naïve. Don't judge me.

But I HAD to have this toy! My Christmas would not have been complete if Santa did not put this Barbie out for me to see when I walked in our living room Christmas morning. I would have been heartbroken if Santa forgot it.

Santa definitely didn't forget!

I can still picture exactly where it was at when I walked in. That's probably because I've watched the home video of it several times, but that doesn't matter. It was to the right of our entertainment center, all set up and looking absolutely wonderful.

Then I noticed the pre-packaged gum.

What the heck?

At that moment, I realized this beautiful bubble gum stand was just that: a stand. It didn't make the delicious gum. The Bubblicious and Bubble Yum factory did.

If that wasn't crushing enough, the awesome molds that were used to make the amazing shapes were pieces of .... poo. They barely worked. The little terrier dog came out looking like a blob.

Talk about not living up to the commercials of the perfect bubble gum pops!

I think I played with it until I ran out of bubble gum, and then to the play room closet it went, never to be played with again.

I'm sure my parents can tell you of PLENTY more times that this happened, but this is the only one I can remember so vividly. Probably because it was such a disappointment.

Why must they make the commercials look so awesome, yet the actual toy is so not-good?

I finally left the toy catalogues to my sisters and moved on to CDs, movies, and clothes. They usually didn't let me down like the toys did. Although, there we a couple of CDs that ended up in a drawer or on our kitchen desk after I listened to it one time through.

This year, though, my Christmas list has changed quite a bit.

It's non-existent.

Up until last night, I really had no clue what I wanted! I mentioned a thing or two to my husband and my mom, but I honestly could not come up with what I wanted.

Then it hit me.

A trash can!

I want a nice trash can.

Got to love being an adult, huh?

We have a plastic one that we bought when I moved into our house back in June. It serves its purpose, but just isn't cutting it anymore. So, I text my mom last night and told her that's what I want!

I also want kitchen stuff. Cook books, cooking utensils, towels, whatever I can use to make my life easier while I'm whipping up some food.

I never understood why my mom would get so excited about things like a Dust Buster or a bunch of Pyrex dishes.

I get it now.

It's funny to think back on the toys that I had to have, or else my Christmas was ruined, and now to look at what I really do have to have to make dinner happen every night!

Oh, how I wish I enjoyed my childhood Christmases just a little more.

I'm glad I finally thought of something to tell my mom that I really could use, not something that's going to end up in storage somewhere. The luxury of putting Christmas gifts in a closet or in a play room just isn't there anymore.

******

It's crazy to think back on all of the Christmases I've had (24, to be exact) and how much my viewpoint on December 25th has changed. It's no longer about what Santa has left under the tree, but the time spent with my loved ones and enjoying each other's company.

I'm really excited about waking up for the first time in our own home with my love on Christmas Day. Since Santa will not be visiting our house this year, we will be able to take our time getting up, open some gifts, eat some breakfast, and spend sweet time together before the crazy-awesome day gets started.

I still can't believe it's only 9 days away, though.

I better get on the ball and wrap up the gifts! I want to be able to enjoy looking at them under our tree before they're ripped open :)

To Santa, or Not to Santa. That is the Question...

I just want to start off by saying I made one of the best dinners I have ever made in my entire life.

AND it was healthy.

Score!

I made salmon with a Dijon glaze, honey-glazed carrots, and brown rice. It was absolutely delicious and super easy to make. It only took about 45 minutes to get it all on the plate, and that's including putting two things in the oven at separate times. I was stoked!

 

It's not exactly a Martha Stewart Magazine-worthy photo, but I'm telling you, the recipes are worth being on the cover. It's that delicious.

 

Here's the recipes for Salmon with Dijon Glaze and the Honey-Glazed Carrots. I just used a Success Boil-in-the-Bag brown rice and didn't add absolutely anything to it.

 

So good.

 

Anyways, on to the next topic.

 

I've seen a few posts on Facebook about a blog entry entitled, 'Why the Haefs don't "Do" Santa.'

 

I have to be honest and tell you that it took me a little while to realize that 'Haefs' was actually a last name, not a group of people. I felt pretty dumb once I came to my senses. I guess changing your hair color doesn't help with the little moments of blonde-ness.

 

I decided to give it a look, just kind of curious as to what their reasoning's were behind not including Santa in their Christmas morning.

 

If you would like to check out the article before you read my thoughts on it, you can find it here.

 

If you don't really care to read it, here's a small summary of it:

 

They Haefs have chosen not to include Santa into their Christmas traditions because they feel it takes away from the real reason Christians celebrate Christmas. They see that Santa is like a 'distraction' from the love and grace of God that is to be celebrated, and they want their children to understand what December 25th is really about. They conclude that Christmas isn't about making a 'Naughty or Nice' list, but is about understand God's love and grace that was shown when He sent His Son. They don't shelter their children from Santa or any other Christmas traditions (Christmas tree, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, etc.), they just don't allow their children to believe Santa rides a sleigh and travels down the chimney to leave presents on Christmas Day.

 

I really encourage you to read the article if you haven't, though. It brings some really interesting thoughts that I wasn't able to include in my summary, and really explains why they chose this.

 

Being the usually-silent-but-opinionated-person that I am, I'm going to share what I think!

 

Growing up, we believed in Santa. We sat out the cookies, wrote the letter, lost sleep while trying to hear the hoofs of reindeer walking across the roof, and finally walked into the living room to see what Santa left behind. We also knew the real reason we celebrated Christmas, which was the birth of Jesus. I don't feel that we put too much emphasis on Santa, and we didn't feel like it was a lie that our parents told us that led to us questioning anything else my parents told us. It was just a part of Christmas. Even up until this Christmas, my parents sat out gifts from Santa, and we all have long stopped believing. We didn't think it was a super-big deal when we realized our parents were the ones buying our gifts, at least I can't remember either one of my three sisters being upset over it.

 

I always figured I would carry on the same traditions with my family, but probably include the cute little 'Elf on the Shelf' as well, just so I can be the creatively-cool mom and figure out cute little set-ups our elf could get into.

 

After reading this article, though, several points the author made has brought quite a few things about Christmas to my attention.

 

Of course, Chris and I's main intention of every Christmas will be to celebrate the birth of Christ and what that brought to out lost world. Because of our faith, we believe there is no point in celebrating Christmas without Christ. We want our kids to understand that it's not about the presents, the tree, the lights nor the traditions, but about the greatest Gift of all, who came to die on a tree to bring Light into this dark world.

 

But what's the hurt in throwing the tradition of Santa in there, too?

 

This article really has me torn, and I don't even have kids yet! There's so much fun in the excitement of writing letters to Santa with all of our wishes, in the magic of believing there is a man named Santa who makes toys in the North Pole, that reindeer can fly, and that this guy eats all of the cookies and drinks all of the milk left in every home, yet can still go up and down the chimney without getting stuck. But it's so easy to get caught up in the magic of Santa and forget about the realness of the Messiah.

 

I don't want our Christmas to become about being 'naughty or nice' so Santa can bring presents instead of coal. I want our kids to understand that we give gifts because we were given the Greatest Gift of all. I want them to fully grasp exactly why December 25th is a special day for us to celebrate, and if Santa comes in between that understanding, then we may take the same approach as the Haefs.

 

But I also don't want to ruin Santa for other kids. I feel that if you teach your child that Santa is just another character like Mickey Mouse, they will then feel obligated to teach other children that Santa isn't real. That's not mine, nor my child's place to tell others that Santa doesn't exist if their parents choose to let their child believe. I remember trying to convince other kids Santa wasn't real when I found out he didn't exist, and I don't want my kids to do the same.

 

Being a parent during Christmastime is tough!

 

Of course, I will definitely talk to the hubby and get the OK from him before anything is set in stone. Good thing we have a while to figure this one out :)

 

I'm really glad I read this blog entry, even though it's given Chris and I one more thing to figure out when we talk about raising our little Johns babies. It brings up some seriously valid points, but doesn't show any judgment towards those who chose to 'do' Santa. It's so very well written, stuffed full of a lot of things to ponder on this Christmas (and every other Christmas) season.

 

It also makes me see just how serious and daunting of a task it is to raise kids in the world we live in today. Even if the world wasn't as scary as it is, raising kids is still some serious business! Even down to something such as Santa Claus, every little thing has to be address, understood, then taught to a child, who will then build the foundation for their own life from it.

 

It's quite frightening, yet so amazing.

 

I am very thankful that Chris and I have at least another three years before we have to worry about whether or not Santa will be 'believed' in or not in our house. And, more than likely, we will let our kids believe there is a Santa. But this article has definitely brought up many excellent points that I haven't always thought about. I will now, though!

 

It's exactly two weeks until Christmas, and I have a little more finished on my list of gifts to buy. Still a ways to go, though.

 

Christmas, would you please slow down? Just a little?

 

.......

 

Yeah, I figured you wouldn't. Oh well :)

Sickness Turned into Greatness

This week/weekend has definitely been one that I was not sad to see end. 

I normally don't become so sick that it seriously affects my ability to get things done, but this week, sickness kicked my butt.

Bad thing is, I believe it was the antibiotic I was taking for an infection that caused me to feel like I was on my death bed. I have taken quite a few medications over the course of my life, and NONE of them have EVER made me feel so much worse than the reason I was taking it for. 

It became so bad that I went to the local prompt care center yesterday afternoon to see if they could to tell me what the heck was going on.

Apparently, my extreme fatigue, upset stomach, nausea, no appetite at all, severe back pain and abdominal pain was because of the infection, not the antibiotic.

Yeah, don't fully believe that. Especially when the majority of the patient reviews I read online had the same exact complaints while taking this drug of death. Plus, they included that it didn't do much for the infection either, which was a complaint of mine as well.

Thank goodness, the doctor at prompt care gave me a new prescription, which seems to be much better. I still get tired fairly quickly, and my back/abdominal is still a little sore, but I can actually walk into the bathroom and brush my teeth without feeling like I need to take a two-hour long nap afterwards.

I am so very thankful for a sweet husband who took care of me all week long, though. I know I kept him up quite a few nights with my restlessness and constant visits to the bathroom, but he never complained. He waited on me hand and foot the past couple of days, and he even went and picked up McDonald's for dinner the other night because I had asked him to. I definitely could not have survived this awfulness without him!

Unfortunately, being in bed most of the weekend has led to absolutely nothing getting done. I was able to wash two loads of laundry and cook us dinner tonight, but that was pretty much it. I had to miss riding in the local Christmas parade, I missed viewing the pictures my sisters and I took back in August, I didn't get to work on my DIY decorations, the house didn't get cleaned, my list of Christmas presents didn't get any shorter, and we ate out wayyyy too much. 

It's amazing how everything gets so backed up when you're out for a weekend.

Anyways, I'm pretty much back to normal. So, on with life, once again!

It's really starting to scaring me how close Christmas is sneaking up on me. I'm beginning to give up on getting our house decorated like I was hoping to, but I don't exactly get to do that with gifts.

I have three gifts under the tree, and they are for my parents' pets.

They are labeled Hershey, Pepper, and Oliver.

But seriously, those are the only three presents under our tree.

I have gifts bought for three others on our list, but that is all. I don't even have a gift for my husband yet! and I only have *2* weeks left!

I'm starting to panic.

This is the first Christmas where I have had the sole responsibility to make sure presents are bought and wrapped, all the while reminding myself that these gifts are coming from my paycheck and it has a limit. 

Balancing presents for Christmas and limitations of my paycheck is not exactly one of my strong points. I can't help it, I get so much joy when I buy people gifts! Especially for Christmas.

Nevertheless, limits have to be set, and Christmas presents still have to be purchased.

Although I did not accomplish one single thing this weekend, I was able to enjoy something I don't always get to, and something I will one day wish I could have back.

Uninterrupted time with my love.

For the first time since our honeymoon, we didn't do one single thing 'planned.' Of course, there were quite a few things I was supposed to do this weekend, and I am sad that I missed them, but I got stay home with my man and enjoy the undivided attention we were able to give each other. I did not enjoy the fact that I felt like I was about to visit the Grim Reaper, but if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy a weekend without interruptions. 

Trying to find the small glimpse of great in a broad view of the worst sickness of my life. 

The moments of this weekend weren't a small glimpse of great, though. They were moments that will be very few and far between, but worth whatever was sacrificed to make.

In my case, it was my ability to function like a human being instead of a zombie.

Before I got married, I didn't fully appreciate weekends with nothing to do. But now that I'm a wife with the intentions of eventually becoming a mom, I have discovered the rarity and the preciousness of having nothing to do and getting nothing done for two days in a row. 

Not to mention getting to spend those two days of nothing-ness with the love of my life. That makes it a whole lot better too!

Thank goodness I am finally feeling well enough to function, so now to face another Monday. Even though I do not enjoy waking up to an alarm clock, getting up to see the sweet face of the little one I keep makes it better.

And it looks like we will be doing a lot of Christmas shopping together these coming up weeks. Hopefully the little guy is up for it!

Go Dawgs and Wreck Tech! (GameDay Recipes)

For anyone who is a college football fan, you know the importance of this week.

Some good ole fashion Hate Week.

If you're a Dawg fan, it's one of the best weeks of the season. Especially the past few years, it's been pure joy to watch this game take place either Between the Hedges or....wherever Tech plays.

Yep, this game decides who runs this state. 

We all know who REALLY runs this state, but we can at least make it official with this match-up. 

Normally, I'm in Commerce with my mom and sisters doing some Christmas shopping on this weekend. This year, though, I decided not to go. I'm not feeling super well, plus I haven't worked this week, which means I don't really have a ton of money to do the shopping I would like to. It would be way too dangerous for me to take our debit and credit cards to a place where the sales are crazy and they're all outlet stores. 

Just. Can't. Do it.

Since I decided to stay home, I thought I would try some new recipes for the game. While I was babysitting last night, I came up with a couple of new recipes on Pinterest and went shopping at 10:00pm to get all of my ingredients.

DISCLAIMER: I have not tried these recipes yet! I went to make one of them this morning, but I forgot to take the meat out of the fridge to finish thawing, so now we will be eating a Tombstone pizza and chips for lunch.

The first recipe I'm going to make is Game Day Sliders. It looks fairly simple, plus it'll make a bunch for us to snack on throughout the game. It'll just be the two of us at the house, but I thought this would be a nice change to either a casserole or getting fast food.

My husband is a little obsessed with spinach-artichoke dip, so I found this recipe that I thought might work well. We haven't been able to find a store-bought kind that tastes decent, so I'm going to venture out a little and give this a try. The recipe calls for jalapenos, but I think we may just leave those out. We're not a huge 'spicy' fan, so adding those will probably not go over really well. I'm also going to attempt to make some pita chips out of the pita bread that I bought (Buy 1, Get 1 Free at Kroger, by the way!).

I figured we needed something else to go along with the sliders, so I found a recipe for these potatoes that look simple yet yummy. It'll also cut down on the calorie intake a little, since the sliders are not exactly on the healthy side. I think I may use a ranch dressing packet with a little sea salt over the potatoes, but I feel like any kind of combination of spices will work great! Maybe even some garlic-parmesan ones...that sounds really good, too.

I think that's enough for one day, especially since it's only the two of us. But I still wanted to make a big deal about this game day, so I think these three recipes will do just fine. 

Plus, I didn't really eat dinner last night, so I will definitely be devouring as much as possible. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, a safe Black Friday, and have a blast cheering on their football team during this Rivalry Week. I know we will be watching our Dawgs (hopefully) dominate the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech, while enjoying some game day food.

Gooooo Dawgs! Sic 'Em!

Creating Our Christmas

I'm still in a little bit of shock that this Thursday is Thanksgiving. 

Where did 2013 go??

The awesome thing about this Thanksgiving is that I have the entire week off. With the exception of babysitting for a couple of hours Friday night, I have absolutely nothing on my agenda except eat and decorate for Christmas. 

And clean. I need to do that, too.

As I have mentioned before, Chris and I had absolutely no Christmas decorations at the beginning of the month. I feel one of the perks of being a wife is getting the opportunity to collect and plan how you want your house to look for holidays, so I really wanted to start from scratch and buy/make as many of our decorations for Christmas as possible. 

I've kind of gotten a little obsessed with it.

Hobby Lobby has become my favorite place recently. I've made the wreath that will go on our front door, plus a couple of canvases that I'm going to hang up somewhere, and I want to do so much more.

I love any opportunity I get to indulge in my creative side, but I really don't like how expensive my indulging gets.

Even with many of my purchases being 30%-50% off, it still adds up when you're purchasing 10-12 items each time. 

I just can't help it though, I enjoy being crafty so stinkin' much! 

Bad thing is, once I do all of this, I then change my mind and not like what I've created, so I drop it and buy something already made. Every single time.

I'm a fairly confident nanny, a pretty confident dance teacher, and I'm becoming a confident wife.

I am not a confident artist/crafter.

I'm determined to like what I do and decorate our house with my creations this year, though. It's too much time and money spent to let it sit in our junk room.

Once I get everything made, I'll post pictures of it all. Maybe even take a few orders if, by chance, anyone wants something? Or I can find out if I need to stick to my day job.

I'm hoping to go on another Hobby Lobby run today. I've been fighting the urge since Friday, but I'm not sure I can fight it anymore.

And I need to clean our house so we have somewhere to put all of these decorations. That probably needs to happen before I bring more stuff in.

But, then again, this bed is mighty comfy...maybe I'll just stay in it until Chris gets home.

Yep, that sounds like a good plan.

Enjoying Life Now

As I sit here in our little dining room, with a cup of maple vanilla cappuccino and cinnamon rolls in the oven, I am reminded of something:

Just how much I love my life at this very stage it is in.

I think some women, including myself at times, rush through this moment of life. We have the husband, now it's time for babies. 


Or at least a puppy.

I'm definitely guilty of this! As much as I enjoy being with my husband and it only being the two of us, I often wonder and think ahead to our lives in the future. Not always with a baby, but sometimes just with a puppy.

As simple as getting a puppy is, it's so complex once you bring him/her home. You can't just pack up and leave whenever you feel like it; you have to make some kind of arrangements for the dog, or you take it with you.

Our home has a small fenced-in back yard, but it desperately needs to be cleared of dead weeds. Having an outside dog just isn't an option yet, we would have to get something that can live in our house with us. And you can't leave an unattended dog inside your house with no way of getting out to use the potty, unless you have those little pee-pee pad things, but we don't want a small dog that would use those.

Could you imagine seeing a lab or a golden retriever using one of those? And I don't think one pad would do the trick.

Anyways...

Even getting a dog would alter our life greatly, but sometimes I don't care. I want a puppy and I want him now.

Until mornings like this.

I love the freedom Chris and I have, and I enjoy the fact that we are able to wake up when we want, eat when want to eat, and do whatever the heck we want to the rest of the day. 

You can't always do that when you have another member of the family living in your house. 

Don't get me wrong! I am looking so forward to Chris and I welcoming a little bundle of joy into our home (I'm talking about a baby, here). I cannot wait for the day when we find our we're expecting, the excitement of wondering if it's a boy or a girl, the anticipation of wondering when he/she will make their debut, and then tackling our first night home with our little one. I'm super pumped about that day.

But I'm okay with it not being today.

I love our Saturday mornings together, just the hubby and I. It makes me realize how blessed I am each and every day to be able to say, 'This is my life, and I absolutely love it.'

There are some cinnamon rolls calling my name, so I think I should wrap this up before they turn cold. Enjoy these little quotes about marriage before you leave, though:

 

I hope you have a fantastic Saturday! Oh yeah, and Go Dawgs!!

Women Are Like Onions...

I think I am FINALLY over the awful beginnings of a sinus infection. I still don't feel awesome, but I feel so much better than I did. Just in time for me to hang out with the little man today, sure have missed him on my days off!

After babysitting for so many families, and having dozens of little girls walk into my class at dance, it's safe to say that no two children are alike.

If you have more than one child, or if you have had a group of kids in the same room with you for longer than 5 minutes, you know what I mean.

Especially with the little girls. Every little girl I have encountered is different from the next. And that doesn't change as they get older. In fact, I think it becomes even more evident how different women can be from one another.

Some women are strong, independent, 'no man-no cry' attitude who are very much career driven.

Some women are timid, very shy, non-assertive in social situations who are more than okay with taking the back seat to others who want the spotlight.

Others are funny, the life of the party, hasn't met a stranger before and probably never will. And you can't forget those who are just down-right awkward, but embrace it and love themselves for it.

Not all are this cut-and-dry, though. Probably more women than not are a mixture of two or three of these, plus other characteristics I haven't even begun to talk about yet.

Women are like onions: we have many, many layers.

Now, I cannot sit here and break down every layer of a woman. We will be here for years. But I can talk about a few of my layers, since I know myself better than any other woman out there and can be a little more transparent than just summarizing.

Side note: I think this is why the first year or two of marriage are some of the hardest. Whoever said, 'the first year is the honeymoon year,' got lucky. I have enjoyed every second of being married to Chris, but it's tough! Most of our arguments and disagreements don't stem from Chris, but from me. And it almost always has something to do with a 'layer' of me that Chris either doesn't know well or hasn't discovered.

Anyways, back to our discussion of women being like onions.

Being a woman is so very complex. There's so much to a woman's heart and spirit, that I feel like I discover something new about my own self all of the time. With each new experience, I uncover either more layers about myself, or just how thick and deep some of those layers I already knew about are. Being a woman doesn't come with a handbook, although I (and my husband) wish it did.

Since I was very young, I've been more on the sensitive side. I would cry at the drop of a hat, especially if someone else was crying. Although I've gotten a little more control over it, I still cry all of the time. At least two or three times a day I am wiping tears off of my cheeks.

I've also been a nurturer and desire nurturing in return. I want to take care of everyone, while being taken care of as well. I enjoyed baby dolls growing up, and I think that's what has inspired me to be a nanny. Also, I spent a huge part of my life at home with my mom and sisters, so that nurturing/being nurtured characteristic has come very naturally and has been encouraged for as long as I can remember.

Once I become a teenager and realized boys did not have cooties, I noticed another side of me: the hopeless romantic.

I have never been a career-driven women. There was nothing offered in high school that inspired me to commit 4+ years in college to achieve my goal. I wasn't the little girl who knew she wanted to be a school teacher or a nurse when she grew up. If anything, I wanted to be an actress, but we see how far that dream has gotten me. There was just nothing out there in the world that I wanted to be.

Except a wife and mom.

Instead of pursuing a college degree, I was pursuing a marriage license. I wanted to find the love of my life, take his last name, then make some babies.

All within a year or two of meeting.

I was an unrealistic hopeless romantic.

Once I went through high school without a date, I then figured I'd better figure out what I should do with my life in the meantime. I decided to then enroll at Augusta Tech to pursue an Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Care and Education.

That lasted all of three weeks.

I don't regret dropping out of Augusta Tech, not at all. But part of me does regret that I didn't then enroll at Augusta State University. Even if I didn't finish a degree, I would've at least had a foundation if I ever decided to go back. If I decided to go back in the future, I would have to start from scratch.

But that's okay, though! My life may be somewhere different now if I had.

Once I dropped out, I then had to find a job. That December, I got my first nannying job, watching little Miss Bella. I also became a dance teacher, a doctor's receptionist, a preschool worker at my childhood church, and babysat on the side.

All the while, still single and looking for love. But no luck.

I didn't keep a job for super long, because I wasn't happy. Nothing, with the exception of teaching dance and watching babies, satisfied what my soul desired. I desired love and to be loved. I desired to take care of and be taken care of. I desired a man to sweep me off my feet and carry me off into the sunset.

Many men came, and they all went. Some by their choice, some by mine. Most left on a bad note, a couple scarred me deeper than I ever thought imaginable. None were my Knight in Shining Armor.

At this moment, I realized just how much of a hopeless romantic I was. I always thought there was something wrong with me, though. Why didn't I desire to be a teacher or an accountant? Why were people insisting that I was wasting my intelligence by not attending college, that they were almost disappointed in me that I wasn't enrolled somewhere earning a degree? It just added fuel to the fire that was telling me I was wrong with the direction I allowed my life to go in, but why was I not driven to do and to be what they wanted me to be?

Why do I have this 'layer' of my life that makes up such a huge part of me, but I cannot shake it nor can I satisfy?

I then realized that I was not made a hopeless romantic by mistake.

I was made, with a Divine purpose, to be the way that I am. There's a reason I wanted to be swept off my feet. There's a reason that a part of me wanted so strongly to believe in love at first (or second) sight. There's a reason I desired to take care of my husband and our kids, and there's a reason I desired nothing else but that.

If I was made any other way, my life would be so very different.

If you've followed my blog any, you know that my Knight finally came, and boy, did he sweep me off my feet! I do believe it was love at second sight (this entry explains), and I fully believe he's the reason I was made to be a hopeless romantic.

I probably chased a rabbit with this entry, and hopefully I didn't lose too many people along the way, but I feel like there are others out there who have this desire and have felt this way as well, and I want to encourage those.

Nothing's wrong with you if college is not screaming your name, and you're not crazy if there's nothing you would rather do than to take care of your man and your kids. 

There's a reason, you just have to be patient to find out why.

Now that this 'layer' of mine has been met, it's, of course, altered a little bit. I'm still a hopeless romantic, but just in a different way. I'm very mushy-gushy and I absolutely love it. I am probably the girl you would see walking down the street, being a little too 'into' her man.

I don't really care, though. The rings on my left hand allows me be that way.

I also love the mushy-gushy gifts: the love notes (or texts now-a-days), the flowers, the silly little lovey-dovey things that make people gag. I probably bombard Chris with all of this a little too much (except I don't give him flowers, that would be weird...), but, once again, I don't care. It makes me happy, I know he knows that he's so deeply loved by me, and I haven't received any complaints yet.

Sounds like I need to keep 'em comin'!

Women are definitely like onions. You can't fully judge us by what we allow you to see, because there's so much more underneath that you haven't even begun to discover.

I think what made me love Chris even more was the fact that he wants to know all of the different 'layers' I have, even if some are pretty scary. His admittance to not knowing everything there is about me, but wanting and desiring to uncover as much as he can while it's just the two of us was probably one of the sweetest and most loving things I have ever heard. It's hard to choose to be vulnerable when you don't know what someone's reaction will be, but knowing that there is someone who asks you to be vulnerable so they can know you better than anyone else, and will love you unconditionally even after they discover it all, is an amazing and beautiful thing.

The baby and I met Chris for lunch today, and we had such a great time. I love moments where I can see him during the day. Even though we spend all of our free time together, I just can't get enough of my hot man!

Told ya I was a hopeless romantic :)