Friday Letters

 

Dear Hubby, Thank you so much for such a great weekend last week... now if only we could do it again this week, sigh. Back to the real world I guess. Just think we only have 43 days until you graduate! This long distance thing is about 7 months too old...

Dear Landon, I know you miss Daddy because I do too! Your understanding about what Daddy does cracks me up. When I asked you what Daddy does the conversation was too funny...

Me: You know Daddy's a Marine right? What does that mean?

Landon: He beats up bad people.

Me: It's a little more complicated than that Landon.

Landon: Nuh uh, and Marines are better than police officers.

Me: No they're not they have different jobs.

Landon: Yes the are because they have bigger guns.

Me: *sigh*

Dear Planner, I really need to open you one week and see a blank page, I mean completely blank. I have been running at the speed of light for the last week and I need a break. Like a big one, okay maybe a little one, please?

Dear Yard Sales in DMV, Please have something I can temporarily use as a TV stand. Since the hubby decided our old bedroom furniture should go and I sold it on Craig's List last week I need something desperately. I don't think my neck can take the strain from looking at the TVon the floor anymore.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

From Richmond With Love

So I am sitting in my room eating a piece of delicious pie... What kind do you ask? Lemon Chess Pie from Richmond, VA. Yesterday I came home from class and was greeted with this wonderful confection that my Uncle Junior in Richmond UPS'ed me. I was elated! Me and this pie have some very fond memories... Ones that include my Great Grandmother that passed away almost 12 years ago. I miss her dearly. She was born in 1912 so she had some pretty awesome stories to tell. She was probably the biggest driving force in me working towards getting my degree. As I am winding down classes and graduation is just on the horizon it seems fitting that I got this slice of her memory and hometown of Richmond. Although I am only one step closer to my ultimate goals (Bachelors in Marketing and eventually my MBA) I know she would be proud. Oh and this pie, it taste just as good as I can remember.

Tuesday Suppers

So this is post #2... before I jump into the recipe for Semi-Homemade Pasta Vodka Sauce with Pan Seared Chicken let me recap the great weekend I had in Virginia Beach. Jon is really busy even at night and on weekends. His school requires a lot of work outside of the classroom so I decided to go down on Saturday. Well that and Northern Virginia traffic is murder on friday evenings! I was going down solo this time so Landon stayed with my mom who he affectionately calls Fifi... long story. Fifi is his favorite person in the world so I was so surprised when he said he wanted to come with me. All the times I have asked him if he wanted to ride down with me to Virginia Beach he has told me no in effort to stay with my mom. I was shocked! It was hard to leave him, but the waterworks lasted only as long as it took my mom to ply him with pancakes. See what I mean... my son sells me out for my mom and pancakes any day. I got down to Virginia Beach in only about 3 hours so I had some time to kill before I could meet Jon. I went the mall and walked around until I decided I better go to Starbucks and start my term paper before I didn't get anything done. I started to fall asleep so I left and read in my car a while where I promptly fell asleep... just as I was going to get out the car and walk around Jon called and I was on my way to get him. It was so good to see him I don't think I stopped smiling for a good 3 hours. After checking in at the hotel we got all dressed up went to this great restaurant in downtown called Sonoma.

I had every intention of taking pictures of the great food...but I was kind of wrapped up in the fact that I was with Jon so I only got one of the dessert which was a blood orange cheesecake, delicious! We always seem to find great restaurants together.

Sunday we went to a church where we have some friends and it was awesome to see them. Since Jon had to be back at base by 3 to get back to his work for school we grabbed some Chipotle and headed over there. I hated to leave him, but we only have 47 days left so time is dwindling. Oh and for the record I don't think Virginia Beach likes me very much because I had snow last time and monsoon downpours this time... go figure!

Semi-Homemade Pasta Vodka Sauce with Pan Seared Chicken

1/2 pound whole wheat penne pasta

1/4 pound of pancetta, diced

1 jar vodka sauce

2 chicken breasts

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp sugar

olive oil

salt

 pepper

grated parmesean cheese

1. In salted boiling water cook the pasta until al dente (with a little bite)
2. Slice chicken breast lenghtwise to make 4 thinner cutlets, season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
3. In a medium sized skillet over medium heat add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add chicken breast and don't move for 4 minutes or until browned on one side. Flip back and forth until cooked through and skin is brown. Remove from skillet and set aside to rest.
4. In the same skillet saute pancetta and garlic adding olive oil if necessary to prevent sticking. Try hard not to brown the garlic.
5. Add the vodka sauce and sugar, stir to combine, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Toss the pasta with the vodka sauce.
7. Slice chicken breast and place on top of pasta.
8. Top with parmesean cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!

Running in Flats

Today was a great albeit busy day! It started at 5:15 am with me dragging myself out of my bed. I am so not a morning person, but somehow I manage it each morning. I went downstairs to check on the collard greens I put in the crock pot before bed last night. We had a farewell luncheon for the big boss today so I had to make something. From there I showered and dressed then attempted to rouse my less than enthusiastic son from his deep slumber. A child after my own heart! After I ironed his clothes and dressed him we brushed teeth and hair and flew out the door. I made excellent time and for DC traffic that means it took me 45 minutes... And I dropped Landon off at my friend Serinia's house. I had to make it to work early and school wasn't open yet. As I landed at my desk I worked up until 12 when I had to leave. This is when the day got real interesting. I had to volunteer for a conference for my class downtown. So I hopped on the bus to metro, thankfully my job is metro accessible, and made it to the hotel. It was so much fun to work the conference and great hands on training for hopefully my next job. I greeted the attendees, directed guests, pretty much anything that needed to be done. Phew, I was so tired from running around I was thankful I had chosen my comfy flats to wear today! Then I caught the metro back to the station got on the bus to pick up my car and then hightailed it to Landon's school to pick him up. If only my day ended there... I had to get Landon's hair cut! These are the times I really miss Jon because he always took care of these things... So needless to say I didn't cook. I barely made it through the line at Chick fil-a. So here I am enjoying my lemonade and looking forward the weekend with Jon ... and him studying... and my term paper. Well at least I can see and touch him... Friday can't get here soon enough, Virginia Beach here I come!

Tuesday Suppers

Cooking is something that I love to do. I have very vivid memories of stirring pots of goodness with my grandmother and frying chicken in the kitchen with my mom. Food has always been a part of my life. When I got married it was like embarking on a new food journey via my husband and son's palate. I so enjoyed perusing the endless cookbooks I own creating new and exciting dishes on a whim. Food was my medium of choice, my artistic outlet. As my friends started getting married I started getting a lot of questions like how do you cook every night? How do you come up with new, exciting, but easy weeknight meals. I started to realize that many young wives either A don't like to cook or B lack the energy to create new meals every night. With that being said I decide to take a stab at posting a new weeknight meal on my blog every Tuesday. This way I can keep a catalog of meals that I create (so I can recreate them, I am horrible at writing things down :) and hopefully can share some good ideas with all you!

Tonight's supper recipe is really fun. Jon loves anything Mexican so I often times find myself making tacos and enchiladas of various types. One that I had completely made up on a whim is Roasted Shrimp Enchiladas. They actually came out pretty good. Here's the recipe enjoy!

Roasted Shrimp Enchiladas

1 lb 26-30 count raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1 cup of cooked white rice

2 limes

1/4 bunch of cilantro

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 8 pack of whole wheat tortillas (or any kind you like)

1 cup of shredded Mexican blend cheese

chili powder

garlic powder

salt

pepper

olive oil

Heat oven to 425F. 

On a baking sheet coat shrimp with 1 tsp of olive oil, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp of chili powder, 2 tsp of garlic powder. Toss to coat.

Roast shrimp in oven until pink about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and toss with the juice from 1/2 lime.

Turn the oven down to 350F.

In a skillet over medium heat saute onions and green peppers in 2 tsp of olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine rice, onions, green peppers, and shrimp. Season with additional garlic powder, salt and chili powder.

In a blender or food processor combine the juice of 1 lime, cilantro, 1 tbsp chili powder, and the can of fire roasted tomatoes with the juice. Pulse until combined and tomatoes/ cilantro are finely chopped.

Spoon 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a shallow baking dish.

Fill the tortillas with the shrimp and rice mixture and roll, Add to the baking dish.

Top the rolled enchiladas with tomato sauce and cover with cheese.

Bake in a 350F oven until cheese is melted.

I served the enchiladas with a green salad dressed with lime juice, honey, and olive oil as well as some corn that I steamed in the microwave (I believe it was the southwest variety of the steam fresh vegetables). Very quick and satisfying, also fun to make. Enjoy!

Counting the Days...

This week I realized that I shouldn't count down days. Being the over obsessed planner that I am I tend to try and make sure I am on top of everything.  So of course I am counting the days until Jon finishes school and we get to be together again. (its 55 days if you were wondering :) But then I started thinking of all the other things that I could be counting down. Like my last day of work, my sister's baby shower that we are having early since I am leaving, the last day of classes, my graduation, the move.... you get the picture right? I was totally overwhelmed since it seems like all of these things are within days of each other! After I stared at my planner for about a good 10 minutes in silence thinking there is no way everything I need to write down will fit in these pages I took a deep breath. Then Jon called. He is so much better at this not knowing and going with the flow stuff. I think that's why our marriage works so well. I freak out and he calms me down. He told me not to worry about all the stuff I was stressing about because I always get it done. I am a very capable wife and mother I told myself.... I can do this whether the Marine Corps gives Jon his orders in 2 weeks when I had expected them or 2 weeks prior to him reporting I can do this. Sigh... see that's why I love my husband. Only he knows that all I should be thinking about counting is the days until we are together again because that's really all that matters. Oh and it helps for me to be able to see him while he does it... I love Face Time!

Friday Letters

Dear Hubby, I miss you so much! Especially when you call me on what I should be doing...like paying attention in class. Oh and just to let you know I will be sending your surprise very soon!

Dear DC area weather, Would you please pick what you want to be like? I'm really sick of bundling Landon and me up in the morning only to realize when I leave work all my hard work was unneccessary because you have warmed up to normal temperatures...

Dear Landon, Thank you for being mommy's trooper and running errands with me. A small request though? Can you not fall asleep on the way home because there is no possible way I have learned how to carry you and all the purchases in the trunk in one trip!

Dear Sewing Machine, Sorry for threatening to return you to your previous owner yesterday. I really do love you... I was just a little frustrated with you, but have I  gotten over it especially when you helped me make this ipad case for my hubby.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Wedding Bells.... Again!

I love weddings and any events for that matter. The planning process is just as much fun as the actual event. I have been planning and doing event design for the past 3 years on and off as way to keep my creative juices flowing. With everything that has been going on I haven't had a chance to focus or even take on anything really major, but when a friend sent me a wedding SOS text I knew I had to help! So here I am taking on another event with Jon getting orders in 2 weeks for June (which means I have to come back for this wedding in July), graduation in May, and everything else that seems to wiggle it's way on my schedule. This is nothing new though. With the first wedding I booked I had a last minute 50th birthday party the night of! I was literally running from setting up the party to the church and back to the party to wrap it up! I would say that this time I am a little stressed, but it keeps me busy and moving and that helps when Jon is gone. Although it probably doesn't help that I have a picture frame that helps me count down the days very slowly I might add.

This wedding is going to be a lot of fun. The colors she picked are awesome and I get to do one of the things I love best event design! Pretty much all the people I have worked with in the past end up getting me to silk florals for them one way or another. It is definitely cost effective and I have built up quite an inventory over the years. I added a link to the top of my page for event design. I have to work through my portfolio archive and update more, but that is a sampling of what I have easily accessible on my current computer. I have transported and shipped my centerpieces before so if you're interested just send me an email at the address under the tab. The bride and I have our first phone consultation tonight so that should go well and then I will be probably up all night working on the initial logistics and design. I am a night owl though so I should be okay. I should probably get a pot of coffee brewing now... anyways who needs 8 hours of sleep anymore? I heard it's overrated...

Friday Letters

So since I have gotten my new pictures I finally got around to making a button for my blog. If you feel compelled to you can grab me to the right. I hope to reconfigure things a little bit tonight so I can post buttons from everyone that I follow but we shall see... If it takes me as long as writing the html code for my blog did I might have to wait until tomorrow :) Hope you have a happy friday! Since my new button is up and operational I decided to link up with Friday Letters on Adventures of Newlyweds enjoy....

Dear Hubby, I know you are starting to get a little annoyed that I reference the fact that you will have your orders in 3 weeks everytime we talk. It's only because I am going crazy knowing that my entire life will have to be packed up and moved by June and I have no idea where I am moving to!

Dear Landon, Do you really have to be so cute everyday?! When you crawled in my lap yesterday and gave me a big hug yesterday for no apparent reason I think my heart really melted...

Dear Brooklyn (my yet to be born niece), Can you please be nice to your mommy? She is really tired of bed rest and would like to actually leave the house on a more consistent basis before you are born and keep her chained to the house for at least a week or two. I really would appreciate being able to see her in something other than her house or bed for that matter thanks!

Dear children and parents of children on spring break this week, Thank you so much for all making a mass exit from the DC area in the form of vacation. I have enjoyed not spending 3 hours in my car everyday. If only you could stay away for one more week or maybe even two?

They're Done! They're Done!

So I have been patiently waiting the arrival of our family portraits and they are finally done! Okay maybe not patiently, but I have been too excited to see how they would turn out. The photographer who took the photos actually shot our wedding too so it was nice to have them do some family portraits. It was actually funny that it was freezing that day. My husband joked with the photographer that we seem to pick the coldest days of the year since our wedding was in January! Overall the shoot went really well. Milton Yang and his Linda take some awesome pictures. If you don't believe me you can check out is work for yourself here. So here are a few of my favorites...

You Lead... I'll Follow?

I am not a follower by nature. I have always been a leader. In group projects, at work, even in board games. I always had to be the one that led the group, team or whatever. I think it comes form my need to have control over any and everything. When I got saved and committed my life to Christ I essentially gave Him the power to lead me wherever he wants to take me in life. Not a bad trade right? My imperfection for God's perfection. Although I have moments where I take the lead and fail miserably I have tried to make sure that I am following wherever God wanted me to go. When I said I do and Jon joined the military I had another reason to let God lead. Being a military spouse these past months have taught me I no longer have any of the control of my life I once had. Following Jon and God for that matter has taken on a whole new meaning. I found a verse this week that helped me realize what I should be striving for... "Lead me in thy truth and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day" Psalm 25:5. Following God requires me to take a backseat to anything that I thought was for the best and enjoy the ride of God's best for my life. Jon will get his order in just about 4 weeks and I am looking forward to at least knowing where the Marine Corps will lead us. One of my favorite artists is Jamie Grace and she sings a song called "You Lead". It accurately sums up everything... Enjoy!