Post-Wedding Bliss

What a weekend.  It was filled with so much joy and so many wonderful people that I couldn't stand the thought of being home alone yesterday.  So Daniel and I celebrated "take your wife to work day."  More to come on that later...

I imagine you want to see pictures of the weekend.  Go ahead.  Take a look!

The big baby was put up two days before the festivities.  And it provided us with plenty of shelter from the wind and entertainment.

 Now these guys were good for far too many stories.  At one point, I stepped up on the newest trailer of two, and it took off.  Luckily, I'm real strong/my brother and one of Roxanne's uncle's heard my shrill cry for help, came running, and saved me from having to explain how the campers were knocked into the lake by the porta potties.

 We stood here while the guests were being ushered in - what a great sight to see so many people who love Nicholas and Roxanne.

 Just chillin' in the trailer whilst we wait for direction.

Before tables...

 Can you start to see the big picture here?

 So pretty.

 Head table.  Roxanne and her mom had even thought of getting those funny-shaped tables.  They thought of everything.

 Tables!  The girls just happened to be in town getting manicures when the tables arrived.  Oh darn.

 Setting up the entry tent.

 And the bride is elated.

 At the end of a long day, Tessa, Liz, and I relaxed on the dock that would eventually hold the couple as they said their vows.

 And Ryan (Rox's twin) was the lucky one who got to hold the token baby.

 Naturally we utilized Jeff to hang the lights.  Precarious?  Not a bit.

 The benches arrived!  More work for the boys while the girls relished in the fact that we are girls.

 Here's the dock overlooking the pond. 

 Rehearsal night!

 The immediate families (Stauffer's and Glanzer's) gathered around Nicholas and Roxanne and prayed for them.  It was ridiculously cool.

 Quasi-married!

The happy couple at the rehearsal dinner.  So gorgeous.

 And the cool water beads.  You must buy these at Hobby Lobby, you must.  They are pretty neato.

 Morning of the wedding - brunch catered by Brenda's (MOB) good friends.

 Yum.

 He was our entertainment the entire weekend.  Since he is one of the bridesmaid's baby, he had the pleasure of hanging out with a dozen ladies for 3 days.  And we all loved it.  He was passed around more times than I could count.  What's not to love about that face!?

 Beginning the "getting ready" process.  I think it's safe to say we spent 4 hours getting ready.  So fun.  Seriously.

 Gorgeous. 

 Sissy!  Is she not the most beautiful bride ever!?  And now she's my sissy. 

 When the bride left, we took the opportunity to do...nothing. 

 One of the saddest things about weddings is that you spend several days making new friends only to part ways at the end.  We made some good memories that will remain in my heart for a long time. 

 A full weekend, but so lovely.

The aftermath:

 The girls spent awhile putting up the tulle, so it's only appropriate that the boys take it down.  They were good sports. 

To those of you who were hoping to see pictures of the beautiful bride in all her radiance, you will need to look elsewhere.  I chose to enjoy the day instead of snapping zillions of pictures.  While viewing pre- and post-wedding pictures is definitely not as interesting as the happy, married couple, I'm certainly glad that I was able to take it all in.  For the best pictures, visit Unruh Photography's website.   They undoubtedly captured some sweet moments. 

And now my brother is married.  And I have a sissy.  And I am all smiles about both. 

And in just 4 short days, Daniel and I will be celebrating our one-year anniversary. 

Life is sweet. 

A Funny

I'll try to be brief, but, let's be honest, I'm never brief.

Several weeks ago, I desired to make this.  So I did.  A few days prior I had e-mailed my mother asking if the mustard would "cook out."  Remember?  She said it would.  And I naively believed her. 

Mid-way through mixing up the marinade, I dry-heaved, but just a little.  The scent was nauseating.  At any rate, like a good cook, I persisted. 

I was also in the middle of making these. 

It was going to be one dang awesome dinnair. 

While the tenderloin was in the oven, the smell was just about too much.  I passed out in the kitchen.  JK.  I wanted to pass out in the kitchen.  Instead, I cell-phoned the hubs and requested that he pick up this:

And he did.  And all was right again in the world of 6052. 

While he went to pick up the pizza, however, I couldn't resist having a quasi-small bowl of these:

And I must say, I make some yummy mashed potes. 

Oh yes, I almost forgot.  I had this lovely little thermometer that worked awesomely.  Until I did the unthinkable.  Call it laziness if you must.  I call it ingenuity. 

I didn't want to stick the thermometer in the meat every time I needed to check it.  How absurd!  So I decided to leave it in the meat while it cooked.  Everybody does it.  I've seen it on TV, at home, on TV, on Netflix, on Hulu, on TV, etc. 

I'm so sad to report to you now that this is what happened:

Very odd.  And I was very sad.  And I'm still very sad.  My perfect therms was destroyed for a meal that almost made me pass out.  Sigh.  I suppose life goes on. 

So this was the final product:

Vomit.  But just a bit.  I mean, I'm sure some of you would love it (you know who you are...).  But not me.  Not now.  Not ever.
 
But this was my final product.

Ah, much better. 

Idea:  I think I'll go to Nebraska tonight.  Sounds nice.  And I think I'll take several dozen pieces of glass with me - mom, I Windexed (verb) them ALL yesterday.  But first, I think I'll fold me some laundry, write me a tear-jerkish toast, and watch me some Parks & Rec.  Mmm, yes.  Sounds good.

See you next week!

I'm distracting myself by...

...taking pictures of my favorite kitchen goodies. 

I'm a year into this domestic life, and I think I'm doing okay.  In my okay-ness, I would like to share with you some of my most-used/favs-ever/most helpful tools.

This is my bendybowl.  One word.  Bendybowl.  You can say it like this - ben-dibble - or this - bendy-bool - or be boring and say it like this - bendy bowl.  But I say it like this - bendybowl.  Bendybowl.  So fun.

 I use it to dump dry ingredients in my baby (AKA my beautiful mixer).  And it works like a dream, every time.  And it's bendy.  Like Gumby. 

This is my sifter.  And it's rusty (so her name is Rustay).  Like "Mater" on Cars.  However, my sifter isn't lovably rusty.  She sifted for me once, I washed her in the dishwasher, and she hasn't been the same since.  Sigh.  But I will not throw her away.  35 years from now my grandchildren will use ol' Rustay and say, "Isn't grandmother so thoughtful to keep this all these years so we could use it to make pie crusts and homemade bread just like she did.  Grandmother is the best."  And I will smile and show them the tricks of my trade...that I haven't even learned yet! 

That was weird.  But it made me laugh.  And since I'm alone all day every day, a good laugh is a good thing.  Even if I'm just laughing at something ridiculously ludicrous that no one will think is funny.  Except B.  And maybe my mom.  They think I'm hIlarious. 

Back to reality.

This is my pineapple slicer.  And it is amazing.  It slices the pineapple within the shell (or whatever you call it).  And when you remove the slicer, you have pineapple rounds perfect for pineapple upside-down cake or a classic fruit salad.

 Next you will see an Alaska Ulu.  A beautiful knife from Alaska. 

 You can use it to chop anything - cilantro, onions, herbs, etc. etc. And it's real sharp.  Real real sharp.  So be careful. 

 The following is hardly interesting.  I bought a mini bacon cooker and a mini cutting board since I often make mini-meals for Daniel and I.  And my kitchen is mini.  When I make a sandwich, it appears that my entire kitchen has just collapsed inside of itself. 

 This is a perfect strainer for small pots of pasta or for rinsing produce.  Not much more to say about it.  But it's so fun.

 I use this to sprinkle powdered sugar on stuff.  Like cookies, brownies, and lemon bars. 

 Oh now this tool is truly fantastic.  Instead of hoisting around a big rolling pin, I use this little guy to roll out pizza dough.  It works like a dream!  I put a bit of EVOO on the dough, dip the pin in it, and it rolls all over the place without sticking.  They also come in plastic. 

 Fun bowl to say #2:  grippybowl.  Grippybowl.  It grips the counter so you can stir without causing a mess. 

 Most people have something like this.  But I love it so much.  Heat-resistance, spatula-like, and acts like a spoon.  Perfect for sweet or savory dishes. 

I'm distracting myself because if I choose to let myself think about the glorious set up nuptials that will occur in 5 days, I think I might weep.  Not because I'm sad.  I couldn't be more elated! My sissy's going to be my sissy!  And my brother is marrying a beautiful, wonderful, intelligent, and awesome little lady.  But my big brother is getting married, and with that come a large range of emotions. 

Tomorrow we head out to begin the celebrations.  Or rather, continue the celebrations:

They are so happy, and I couldn't be happier for them.

Loves.  And cupcakes.  Or blackberry muffins...like I made this morning.

Here's what I've learned...(caution: word vomit)

I'm now beginning week 3 of summer, and it is glorious.  However, in its gloriousness, I'm learning some hard truths about myself:

• I don't begin things well.  I love doing things once I've started (cooking, cleaning, whatevs), but I really struggle starting them.  Not sure how to remedy this.
• My motivation to do much of anything is very low.  Could it be because for 10 months, I had to be motivated to complete all kinds of tasks and now my motivation tank is obliterated?
• I'm an English teacher, but I don't read as much as I should.  Oh yikes, that is no fun to put out there.  I don't read as much as I should because I don't like starting books.  If I could start every book in chapter 3, life would be better.
• I don't deal well with boredom...because I don't know how to fill my time...because I can't start something new.
• I'm just sleepy.  Perhaps I'm sleepy because of going so hard for so long, and perhaps it's not a bad thing to spend some time sleeping.  
• I'm too hard on myself.  Should I let myself chill out for awhile instead of beating myself up that I'm not doing much?

So there's that.  I'm spending lots of time sorting through who I am and why I am the way I am and what I need to change.  Sometimes such work is enjoyable while other times it's downright exhausting.

And then here's the funny of the day:  this morning, after I finished reading a portion of the greatest book in the world, I set it down only to read this on the cover - "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you:  Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering.  Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him."  Romans 12:1 (The Message)

So I've been given a gift - 10 weeks off during the summer.  And it's been pretty ordinary.  Yes, there have been extraordinary days - like when I get to see my beautiful friends, spend extra time with my wonderful hubs or family, or excessively productive days.  BUT there have also been parts of days that are just ho-hum.  That I spend lots of time on the couch pondering who I am.  And those moments are just ordinary.  Perhaps I've been wasting away those moments.  Or perhaps I've been doing what I should be doing - just being.  Either way, here's what I'm going to do - place even the most ordinary of moments before the Lord as an offering.  My time here on this silly little planet is meant to be purposeful, so even in the sitting-on-the-couch-waiting-for-5:45-when-the-hubs-returns-from-work moments, I will cherish my quiet time, love the fact that I have a hubs to wait for, and breathe out myself and breathe in the One who gives me breath. 

Consider the bits of sadness, loneliness, and selfishness that have been apparent this June to be no more.  I'm taking "on an entirely new way of life--a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into [my] conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in [me]" (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Let's do this. 

Thoughts and Stuff

Note:  all pictures taken with my silly space-phone...because (a) I'm too lazy to lug my big cam around and (b) I want to share these pictures with you.  

Yesterday was a success.  Until 3 pm.  Then I got real bored.  I mean real bored.  Part of the problem was that when I woke up with the hubs at 6:30 am, I didn't go back to bed.  I love mornings.  And I loved yesterday morning.  But because I started the day so early, I ran out of stuff to do.  Ho hum. 

So today I ran errands.  Target - purchased all gifts for upcoming weddings.  Boom.  And purchased this for one of the quasi-6 nephews:

 He's having a camo-themed 4th birthday party this weekend and he needed swim trunks.  I think I scored.  Typically I'm vehemently against sleeveless shirts, but his mama wanted such shirts, so I obliged.  It's a cute one too, doncha think?  Yes.

Then check this.  The following mini-story should impress you.  Especially if you have Mennonite (or Hutterite like me) roots.  While shopping at the local grocery establishment (Dillon's), I was in the market for frozen hash browns for a classic potato casserole.  I knew that the name brand would have the recipe on the back that I so desired, but as I closely examined the label, I also realized that the name brand was about $2 more.  What!?  It can't be!  But it was.  And it is.  And it will forever be...  SO, I quickly whipped out my space-phone, took this picture:

...purchased the store-brand frozen hash browns (that didn't have the recipe on the back), and darted for the dairy department.  It's okay to think I'm cheap, strange, quirky, etc.  I don't even understand myself sometimes.

Moving on...

At one point, I promised additional pictures of my classroom. Here is one that I took about an hour before I left for the summa, for the summa:

 Oh sweet classroom.  I don't really miss you right now.  Ask me again in about a month.  Or two. 

FINALLY, here is a picture I took with my space-phone just after a funnel cloud passed over SW Topeka:

Thank goodness we have loving family just a few miles away.  We (I mean the hubs) may have run a red light on our way to shelter.  It was intense, people.  Then we went to our regularly scheduled movie because the storm was over NE Topeka.  A good eve. 

I will leave you, my faithful readers, with a thought about marriage or relationships or compromise or whatever most relates to you.  I think Daniel is a picky eater.  He knows I think this.  He does not think the same.  He hates the following food items:  cream cheese, Rotel (don't even get me started on this one), green chilies, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and pulled chicken.  For awhile (and by "awhile," I mean close to 10 months of our marriage), I ignored his hatred of the aforementioned foods and pouted each time he gently told me of his distaste. 

Then one day the following thought occurred to me:  perhaps I need to make some culinary changes instead of expecting the hubs to choke down his least favorite foods on a regular basis.  So I put my brain to work a decided that instead of using Rotel, I will use salsa.  Instead of green chilies, I will use pepper-jack cheese when apropo. Instead of pulled chicken, I will learn to bake chicken breasts and then cut it into chunks (still need some advice on this one - how do I bake chicken without it getting dry??).  Instead of putting small pieces of onions in various entrees, I leave huge chunks that I can easily remove right before serving. Instead of tomatoes in the entire dish, I only put tomatoes in one half.  Etc. 

I don't have all the kinks removed, but I'm happy to say that I've learned a lesson in all this. 

Sometimes life is less about changing the other person and more about you being the one to change. 

And now, to quote Thornton Wilder from the beautiful play Our Town:  "Oh, earth, you're too wonderful for anybody to realize you. Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it -- every, every minute?"

Oh life, you're a funny thing.