Wednesday Hodgepodge ~ July 24, 2024

1. The Olympics kick off this coming weekend. Will you be watching? If you could watch just one event in person, which one would you choose? 

I plan on watching and especially love the opening ceremony.  I think I would love to watch gymnastics.  I am sure there are several events I haven't even heard of though!

2. Have you ever been to Paris? Is this a city you'd like to visit? What's your favorite 'French thing'? 

Yes!  I went on my senior trip after graduating high school and then went back in 2014 wtih my family for a weekend while we were living in Brussels for a month.  I think Paris is one of the most beautiful cities!  I feel like my answer would be the fashion and of course, the bread!

3. Macaron, creme brulee, chocolate soufle, mille feuille, or an eclair...your favorite French patisserie from the ones listed? 

I would vote for the macaron!

4. July 24th is National Cousins Day...do you have many cousins? Are you close to them? Will you see any of your cousins on July 24th? 

I have 13 first cousins.  I am the youngest on one side of the family and second to youngest on the other side of the family.  I love them all, but some I haven't seen in over 15 years.  I do have a few I saw at a funeral last year and a few others I see once a year at Christmas.  I do enjoy anytime I spend with them and would love to have reunions!

I do love watching the relationship between my kids and their cousins, especially my youngest who is so close to her cousin, who is just 6 weeks older.

5.  Last time you went somewhere that felt like 'everyone and his cousin' was there? 

In 2021, my daughters and I went to see Harry Styles in concert in Nashville.  It was a great show, but I seriously thought at one point, we were going to be stuck in Nashville traffic at midnight for the rest of our lives.  Downtown Nashville gets crazy after dark, especially on a weekend!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I am very thankful my mother is doing well after a major surgery yesterday on her back and she has a follow up surgery on Friday, so she is in the hospital.  I took yesterday off work and spent 12 hours at the hospital to be with her and my dad.  I will spend more time this week back and forth from the hospital.  Here is the view from her room when it was raining and my hospital lunch, which was pretty decent!

Enjoy your day!

 

Hello Monday ~ July 22, 2024

 Good morning & Hello Monday!  I took last Thursday and Friday off from blogging, but I will fill you in below what happened last week.  

Last Wednesday, I had some intense leg pain.  The very first post I ever made on this blog was about my health history of having blood clots in my leg.  I was diagnosed with these a month after Isabella was born, 23 years ago, and was hospitalized for a week.  As a result, I spent 2 1/2 years on blood thinners, took shots 2 times a day during my next pregnancy and have a genetic blood clotting disorder.  All that to say, because I had intense leg pain and swelling Wednesday, I went to the emergency room.  I spent 5 hours there Wednesday night & found out thankfully, I didn't have a blood clot, but just a small cyst behind my knee.  Because I got home well after midnight, I was still very tired on Thursday.

I made it to work for a little bit Thursday and that night, Brook and I went to my sister's for family dinner night.  Brook's boyfriend went with us and he met all my family for the first time.  All the kids were so sweet and one of them cried at the end of the night because she wanted to come spend the night at Aunt Marilyn's.  We are trying to get a night scheduled soon! Needless to say, no blog post for me last Friday because I was still so tired when I finally got home Thursday night.

Friday night, my oldest daughter came in town, so she, Brook and I went to dinner. Saturday morning, we went to get donuts then went to do some outlet shopping.  Unfortunately, both of my portable fans had run out of battery so I charged them Saturday afternoon when I got home!

I loved spending the day with my girls!  We stopped by to say hi to my parents and then also went to an estate sale in our neighborhood.

I have pulled out old bins lately for my girls to go through their childhood things.  Isabella had fun going through her childhood clothes.  

I baked sourdough...

And made myself a pizza with my sourdough starter.  Both girls had plans for the night, so I was home alone and watched a movie from the Signed, Sealed, Delivered series on Hallmark.  It got to me at the end and I cried.  Speaking of Hallmark, they are having their Christmas in July movies.  One day last week, I watched a movie called The Christmas Secret and enjoyed it.  I fell like last year, I didn't finish half of the Christmas movies I started.  

Sunday, I went to church & treated myself to frozen yogurt for lunch since both my girls had plans. I then watched the latest breaking news & did some fall travel planning.  Seems like it has been 2 eventful back-to-back weekends.

Sunday evening, I went to see the movie, Disciples in the Moonlight, with a friend. Have you heard of this movie?  It is a one week movie engagement.  Here is the summary online:

"A reluctant leader heads up a team of 7 Christians intent on smuggling Bibles to underground churches in a future America where the Bible is illegal and danger is around every corner."

On a random side note, this was my only purchase from the Nordstrom sale.  Each year, I have purchased less and less.  I have wanted to try this brand and I am always a sucker to try new serums, so I ordered this Ordinary Skin Support Set, which was a really good deal. I have lots to use up before I use this though.  Have any of you used this brand?

That's all for today! Look for the good in your day!

Hodgepodge ~ July 17, 2024

 Good morning.  I am joining in with Joyce today for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. What is an adult problem nobody prepared you for? 

Paying bills & budgeting is an area I feel like more young people need preparation for in young adult life.  Also, sometimes in life, you find yourself in a position you never asked to be in and it is hard to prepare for that.  That being said, I think the best way to prepare for the unexpected little traumas and Big Traumas in life is to know our identity is not in another person but in the Lord and to be able to run to scripture, family and friends for encouragement and reminders of hope.

2. Without mentioning any tech, what's your most prized possession? 

I have a ring my grandmother gave me and I have a bible from the early 90's I treasure. 

3. It's National Peach Ice Cream Day (July 17th). Will you be celebrating? Do you like peaches? Given a choice would you prefer peach ice cream, peach pie, peach cobbler, or just hand me a peach? Do you own anything that is peach in color? 

I am not a fan of peaches, so I will not be eating any peaches today.

4. What makes a friendship successful? 

I am so, so extremely thankful for friendships.  We all have those who have been friends for seasons and friends we have known for 20/30 years plus. I certainly have friends I have known for 50 years too, but honestly, in this stage of life, my closest life friends are those I have known for 20 years or less.  Those friendships are made of laughter, forgiveness, encouragement, celebrating together and grieving together. I also love that in the last few years, I have made some new friends that I enjoy so much.  Some of those have been made right through this blog!

5. Let's give our brains a rest and do a little summertime this or that...beach or pool? ice cream or snowcone? amusement park or camping? burger or hot dog? watermelon or strawberries? get up early or sleep in late? sunrise or sunset? 

Pool if it is at my sister's house, otherwise, I would say beach because I love to marvel at the view of the infinite ocean

Ice cream, or really, my choice would be frozen yougurt

I like to camp, but in the summertime, I think I would prefer an amusement park unless if I was camping in camper with a/c & a shower.

Burger

Strawberries

Sleep in late

Sunset -I drove to see this one last week.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I think I have mentioned it here before, but I like a movie based on a true story.  I recently watched the 2016 movie Deepwater Horizon based on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  It was a good movie and interesting to learn more about this.

I hope you feel encouraged today in whatever it brings your way.

Talking About it Tuesday ~ Cheese, Glorious Cottage Cheese

 Today I am talking about cottage cheese and using it in different recipes.  I am not a fan of cottage cheese by itself, but I have tried a few recipes with it over the last year and am sharing a few of those here with my thoughts.

Cottage Cheese Waffles

2 Tablespoons fat free cottage cheese

2 large eggs

Pinch of salt and pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

4 Tablespoons of cheddar cheese, divided

Puree cottage cheese in blender until smooth.  Add eggs, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Blend well until mixed.

Lightly coat waffle maker with cooking spray.

Add 1 Tablespoon of cheese to the bottom plate.  Add half of egg mixture to the waffle maker.

Top with another tablesppon of cheese.  Cook 2-4 minutes

Makes 2 mini waffles...verdict:  These were just okay for me.  As seldom as I eat waffles, I think I enjoy the Kodiak protein waffles better.

Chocolate Pudding

2 cups fat free cottage cheese

1/3 cup Monk fruit weetner with erythirtol

2 2/3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Process the cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add the sweetner, cocoa powder and vanilla.  Process until well combined, 30 seconds-1 minute.

I added some chocolate chips to mine.  Verdict:  Again for me, this was not bad, but wasn't so great that I thought I would make it as a regular snack. 

Below are my 2 favorite recipes I have made using cottage cheese.  These are both so good and I have made these multiple times!

Cottage Cheese Queso

1 cup cottage cheese, blended smooth

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 Tablespoon taco seasoning

Mix blended cottage cheese, shredded cheese and taco seasoning together.  Heat in microwave until cheese melts and serve with chips.

Egg Bake

1 cup fat free cottage cheese

6 eggs

1 small can chopped green chilis

Optional:  package of bacon bits

Whisk all ingredients together, add seasonings of choice and pour into baking dish sprayed with cooking spray (I used a pie plate).

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges start to brown.

Here are 2 recipes I haven't made yet, but they sound good.

Breakfast Tortilla

3 eggs

1/3 cup cottage cheese

Your favorite veggie toppings

Mozzarella cheese.

salt and pepper

totilla

Spray a pie pan and line it with a tortilla.  Fill it with your favorite ingredients.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until eggs are set.

Crustless Vanilla Cheesecake

serves 8

4 cups fat free cottage cheese

2/3 cup Monk fruit sweetner with erythirtol

1/2 cup plain fat free greek yogurt

1 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract

3 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350. Coat an 8 inch springform pan wiht spray; wrap the outside of the pan with foil.

Blend the cottage cheese in a food processor until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sweetner, yogurt and vanilla.  Process until well combined.  Add the eggs and mix until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cheese is golden around the edges and still a bit wobbly in the center (about 1 hour 5minutes-15 minutes). Remove the cheesecake and cool to room temperature.

Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled and set, at leasts 3 hours. Remove the sides of the pan.  Cut into 8 slices and top with strawberries or furit of choice.

Have you made another fun recipe with cottage cheese?  

Hello Monday ~ July 15, 2024

 Good morning!  I am joining up with Holly & Sarah for a little weekend recap.

Last Friday, I worked until noon and then did my citizen duty and early voted for a local election here.  Friday evening, Brook and I went to a friend's house for dinner.  The family has 3 kids, so it was a busy, fun night!

Saturday morning, we tried a new restaurant/coffee shop that specializes in different flavors of cinammon rolls.  They were delcious!  (P.S.  We ate some protein and fruit at home to balance this out for our morning!).  Yes, they were delicious!

Cinammon butter cream icing

Dark chocolate drizzle

Original cream cheese icing

We went to a wedding about an hour and a half away later that afternoon.  My older daughter was in the wedding, so I was so thankful to see her for at least a few hours, even though she wasn't able to come home.  The wedding venue was so pretty, but unexpectedly, during the reception, the power went out!  Y'all, this is Mississippi on a Saturday night in July.  It got hot.  The band couldn't play, but people were dancing to a playlist and certainly made the best of an unfortunate situation.  It was really refreshing to see how well people handled it, other than saying to one another, "It's so hot!".  Here are some pictures from the night.

The food was all Southern themed and was probably some of the best I have had at a wedding.

This lady with Brook is an angel on earth for our family. She has worked with my girls as a youth director and as a college minister.  She is pure gold and I could not have survived these past 2 years without her encouragement.  We have been at all the same weddings this year, but we finally got a picture tonight. I am so thankful for wise, Godly people who speak into my girls' lives and encourages me too.

Sunday, we went to church, had leftovers at home, then went to my parents house.  My brother and sister-in-law were in town, so it was nice to visit with them and my sister and brother-in-law were there too.  I stayed late and visited with my sister-in-law then came home to watch a little Colombian soccer and went to bed. Here is my brother and I.

I hope your day starts and finishes well and you are able to enjoy this summer day.

Lots of love!

Friday Favorites ~ July 12, 2024

 Happy Friday friends!  I hope you are safe and have a cool, dry space with the rain and heat the country has experienced this week.  I have a few favorites to share.  I love when favorites are the little things!

One fun thing about having my daughter home is having her help me with my hair and clothes choices.  She braided my hair last weekend so after sleeping with this, my hair had lots of body the next morning.

She and I went on a walk and saw this beautiful butterfly. I love that the butterfly represents new life.

Baking sourdough and being able to share a loaf with a friend at church and one to have at home for us is a favorite.  My daughter even told me this week she is glad I do this.  

I went back to 1985 and watched St. Elmo's Fire.  I think I had only seen this once before, so it was interesting to watch with all the talk about the Brat Pack lately.  Did I mention I watched the special on this?  It was very interesting to hear their insights on that name.

I cooked dinner this week!  Don't get me wrong, I eat plenty every day, but it is rare I really cook these days.  I have a lot of food in the freezer I warm up for us or we just snack because we have been out to eat for lunch or we are out for dinner.  This is a recipe Brook sent me to try.  We did it a little different as we just rolled out the dough, put the toppings in the middle and pulled up the dough around the chicken/pesto/cheese mix.  They were delicious.

Cheesy Chicken Pesto Pockets

I needed to get out of the house the other night, so I went for a drive to watch the sunset.

I had lunch Thursday with some old friends.  One of these I had not seen in 19 years! And on this same day, I communicated with other friends (one in Colombia, one in Brussels, and 3 other friends who live in other states) and it was so rewarding for me. I need to spread out all these conversations to some of my quieter days!

After living in Colombia for 3 years, it is still so fun to watch Colombian soccer, especially when they win!

Brook and I watched the first few episodes of the Netflix special on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.  

And in a humorous twist, I made these chocolate chip cookies we ate while watching the show, ha! I used this recipe, but left out the M&M's and used chocolate chips.  To make them healthier, I used Swerve brown sugar, sugar-free vanilla pudding mix, Bob's Red Mill almond flour, and sugar free chocolate chips. They tasted delicious!

I was able to attend the service to honor Jennifer's father this week.  There have been lots of hard things the past few weeks in life.  I have had some rough days/nights with some personal things, I have been to 3 funerals and walking with some friends through some tough times too.  In the midst of these things, I am thankful to look back at all the little things that are favorites.  

The biggest favorite is that whether it is a good day or harder day, Jesus is my strength, hope and comfort.  

May you be encouraged to press on and hope you have a great weekend!