Hearty, From the Heart, Heart-Shaped

#45: Send a care package to Philip (hereafter affectionately referred to as Phil).
My brother Phil (I love how much I sound like Dorothy Zbornak when I say that...) is a sophomore at Clemson this year, and his birthday was a few weeks ago. This year's present was a box filled with school supplies, homemade cookies, and a gift card. Actually, Tom and I got to give this to him in person because my family met up in Clemson this past weekend for a double celebration, since Phil has the same birthday as my dad!

#1: 100 new recipes.
The cookies for Phil's care package were a sweet-and-salty combo...chocolate chip cookies with pretzel pieces! Sorry, no pictures, though. I finished them kinda late the night before we left, and I didn't have my memory card with me. Oh well.

Winter came to Louisville a little late this year, but it is finally here. The below-freezing temperatures had me craving a recipe that I've wanted to try for years but never had the chance (or all of the ingredients at one time): a nice, hearty beef stew.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my slow cookers? (Yes, you read that correctly. I have two...one from my mom, and one from my mother-in-law. And yes, I have been known to use both simultaneously from time to time.) And, honestly, is there any better way to cook beef stew...? I threw everything in first thing in the morning; and it was perfectly done by dinnertime, plus it really hit the spot on a cold night.

We also had homemade deep dish pizza last week!

Look closely at that salami. This was our Valentine's Day dinner this year, so I broke out the heart-shaped cookie cutter. Then when we were getting ready to eat the finished product, I realized that last year's V-Day dinner was a LOT more elaborate than this. Then again, I didn't really have a job this time last year, so I had all day to cook said meal. What a difference steady employment makes...!

In other news, I have been trying slowly to get back into an exercise routine this week, working back up to my running endurance level from a few months ago...with food like this, I don't have much of a choice, do I?

A Snack and a Knickknack

#1: Try 100 new recipes.
#13: Use a new kitchen gadget at least 10 times.
It was "dip night" at small group this past Sunday, and we had a bag of potatoes thanks to this month's Food Line, so we decided to make homemade chips! I had a recipe that called for seasoning them with black pepper, garlic salt, and some sort of herb (I chose thyme), and I took along some sour cream for dipping. Not bad!

#98: Get a fleur-de-lis Christmas ornament before we leave Louisville.

I know the fleur-de-lis is probably associated more with New Orleans than with any other American city because of the heavy French influence there, but it's all over the place in Louisville too. (The city was named after King Louis XVI of France, because he sent soldiers to aid the Americans during the Revolutionary War.) So what better symbol to commemorate the time we're spending here? OK, so I cheated a little and got one from eBay, but I probably paid a lot less than I would have if I'd gone to a local store. Besides, isn't it pretty? I think it'll look great on our Christmas tree!

I should also mention, we volunteered at Jeff Street again last week. It's awesome; I think we're actually starting to recognize certain visitors from month to month, and even better, some of them are starting to recognize us!

And finally, I just completed a month of working out on a somewhat regular basis! I think this might be the first time I've done that...ever. And now I know that it really is doable; I just have to be intentional about it. It's a pretty good feeling!

Thankful

Well, here we are, the last day of January. What a month it's been!

#27: Print wedding photos/bridal portraits for frames and albums.

#34: Sell/donate stuff we're not using.

#37: Walk/jog/run at least three times a week for a month.

#73: Finish my graduation scrapbook.

I have to say, I really love the small group that Tom and I are involved in through our church. It's amazing how a group of people we've only known for a few months has become such a vital part of our lives. This week they actually helped me with a ton of my goals, and they probably didn't even realize it! One of the ladies suggested using Snapfish to upload my bridal portraits and all the photos from our wedding. That site is awesome; I'm thinking of doing a photo book for the bridal portraits and a collage for some of the wedding photos, to put in this big frame I got for Tom...for our one-year anniversary...about six months ago. :-/ The next goal involved the main thing we do in our weekly meetings, which is discussing Sunday's sermon; we recently finished a series about stewardship, and we decided that a practical application would be to get rid of some of our old stuff, so Tom and I have made a nice pile of things to give away. Also, I started walking this week, and I've asked the ladies in the group to help keep me accountable; that was always the thing that seemed to be missing when I tried getting in shape before, so I think it's really going to make a difference. And finally, the ladies decided to get together for lunch this past week, and afterward some of us worked on scrapbooking and organizing photos, so I finally made some headway on the graduation scrapbook my mom gave me almost three years ago...!

#28: Watch every Best Picture winner from 1960-2013.

(By the way, they announced this year's nominees last week. I've already seen three of the 10 Best Picture nominees for this year, and they were all great; I'm hoping one of those wins...!)

For our date movie this week, we were actually going to rent RED, but they didn't have it at the Redbox we went to (does that count as irony?), so we decided to watch something on-demand. There were lots of options from the list of winners I haven't seen yet, but we went with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I honestly think that might be my favorite one we've seen from that list so far (it's between that and The Godfather right now); it was a little dark, but as Tom pointed out, I seem to enjoy movies like that. Weird, I know. Speaking of weird, this movie was from 1975, and Jack Nicholson had the lead role; seeing him so young was...well, weird. He was actually pretty handsome back then! I mean, he was no Tom Duttweiler, but not bad! :)

#52: Call a friend/relative to catch up.

OK, I was actually the recipient here, not the caller, but I think I'm going to count it because talking on the phone is somewhat difficult for me. Actually, I recently got phone calls from not one, but two good friends I haven't really talked to since Tom and I moved to Louisville, and I talked to both of them for almost an hour!

#85: Volunteer at Jeff Street once a month until we move.

The Jefferson Street Baptist Center is a homeless shelter in downtown Louisville. It's an amazing place; there's a real focus on helping people get back on their feet, and there are programs where the Bible is taught, so they're taking care of people spiritually as well as physically. I feel like we've seen it all there...addictions, mental illness, you name it; but thing that really breaks my heart is that a lot of people don't think their lives are going to get any better, even if they try to make it so. The first few times Tom and I volunteered there, I left in tears, not only because of the sheer hopelessness that we encountered, but because of the overwhelming shame I felt for ever complaining that we didn't have "enough." Anyway, we went back on Saturday and spent a few hours passing out coffee and toiletries that were donated by individuals and local businesses. I'm a firm believer in the idea that no one can do everything, but everyone can do something. I may not be able to find anyone a job, and I can't give anyone a place to live, but I can give someone a cup of coffee and a smile in Jesus' name.

I'm just feeling incredibly thankful coming off of this weekend. There are so many blessings in my life, none of which I deserve. I really feel like God has been teaching me lately to focus on the positives instead of on what might be lacking. I didn't work again this past week, but look at the great experiences He allowed me to have instead. (And no, I haven't been lazy on the job front; in fact, I had an interview this morning that I think went very well!)