I think I spoke too soon.

What was I thinking? Never say things are settling down! Maybe they will stay constant and calm, but a few discussions with Eugene last night makes me think otherwise. I can’t go into much detail, but we may be making yet another life-changing decision sometime soon…we’ll see. Lovely time in our lives where all the big decisions are bunched together in a matter of months. Oh well. I saw a quote today that was perfect for how I feel right now:

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God,” Corrie Ten Boom

Perfect. I also read in 2 Peter, that “God has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” Hear that? Everything. Rest on that!

Last night I tried the Pioneer Woman’s recipe Individual Scalloped Potatoes with Ham, and I think it’s a keeper. It was a lot more manageable and better portion control for just the two of us, than my usual crock pot edition. I didn’t work from the recipe, but I just read it the day before and did what I thought would work. So my attempt ended up something like:

Individual Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

3 potatoes, sliced
2-3 slices of ham, diced
6 tablespoons of 2% milk
butter {I used a lot less than she did in her recipe}
handful of cheddar cheese
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Add a little bit {maybe 1/3 pat} of butter to the bottom of sprayed muffin cups. Layer each cup with potatoes, ham, cheese, potatoes, ham, and cheese. Add about 1/4 pat of butter on top. Salt & pepper, and them pour on a tablespoon or so of milk to each cup. Bake until they are tender by sticking a fork in to test them. Ours took a little over 30 minutes, I think. {Mine actually got a bit crunchy b/c I turned up the temp. after 20 minutes to 400 because we were starving!}

Eugene ate his with sour cream, but I enjoyed mine plain. :) I think it would be good varied with bacon instead of ham, or with an egg broken in the cup for breakfast or brinner.

Feeling less like a newlywed.

I just realized that Eugene & I are actually getting the hang of life. Seems like we haven’t been hit with a massive challenge/life change in the past few weeks. And, honestly, it feels nice. I feel like we’re functioning as husband and wife…high alert mode is off right now. Don’t get me wrong, we still have to face some pretty big hills {maybe mountains} in the next year, but for the past few days and {hopefully} the coming weeks, we’re doing okay. It’s nice to feel a little more like husband and wife, and a little less like newlyweds. :)

It’s been a painful process for me – not knowing what God has planned for us in the next year, or even the next months, but I’m getting better at just being okay with not planning. We’re in waiting mode to see whether Eugene will be a full-time teacher, whether he should consider being a G.A. still, whether we should look to buy a house, whether we should purchase health insurance, whether we should pay off our college loans…you get the point. I’m a born planner. I do it for a living, I do it for my sanity. But God keeps hitting me over the head with the fact that I can’t always plan. His plans trump any ideas I might have. And only He knows what we’ll face tomorrow. He’s my Guide, and praise the LORD that He’s in control!

 

Don’t worry, the pup wasn’t on the field until after the game!

I drove to Northeastern High School with the pup yesterday to watch Eugene coach the boys. He’s so amazing at it. There’s no doubt it’s a talent God has given him. Eugene’s not a patient person in general, but when he gets on the baseball field, and interacts with the young men, he explains things so well and so patiently. I love it. {He’s not patient with the umps, but well, you can’t win them all! No pun intended!} Please pray for a player named Daemon. This young man lost his mother in a car accident earlier this year, and the grieving process is so hard. I have this feeling that God brought Eugene to NEHS for Daemon. {Again, God’s plan is perfect.}

The teaching position that Eugene’s hoping to get was posted today. Another prayer request. It’s exciting that we’re actually able to start the applying process after waiting so many months!

Feels like Summer.

It’s still absolutely gorgeous outside! High of 85 today, sunny, and even a thunderstorm last night. I’m loving it {so much!}

This Easter’s weather was beautiful too. Probably one of the nicest Easter’s we’ve had here in a really long time. I convinced Eugene that we needed to take advantage of the sun to snap a few family photos. He’s not a fan of taking pictures ;)

my two boys looking very handsome

Espn didn’t feel like posing for this one

on the swing at Aunt Jane’s…love him {so much}  

Casey & Dale are all packed and ready for the trip to the hospital should baby girl decide to arrive early. I can’t believe we’ve already made it to the due-date month! It’s unreal and very neat. I’m beyond impressed with them – they’ve worked so hard and prepared, prayed, and loved on the little one. They’re going to be amazing parents, and the itty bitty girl is going to be one beautiful, loved blessing. I need to pack my bag – I absolutely CANNOT WAIT to see them…all 3 of them!

He is risen indeed!

Busy,  busy weekend. Friday after work, Eugene and I went to his parents’ house to enjoy a lasagna dinner and an evening bonfire.

 

Our entertainment for the night was Eugene’s brother, who decided to rise to the challenge of catching a marshmallow shot from a gun {made for shooting mallows} on the deck in the dark. IK, pretty impressive!

Ah, the face of victory!

Saturday, I woke up early, cleaned {or at least attempted to} the condo, ran outside with the pup, made some wall art for our bedroom, and then headed in to work a wedding reception at 2:30. The reception ended early {wondrous thing!}, so I relaxed with Eugene Saturday night at our place.

Sunday was a blessed Easter…making green bean and corn casserole, pineapple cream cheese dip, going to church, then Aunt Jane’s, then Grandma Dottie’s, and then Shumaker’s. Whew! I had to take a picture of the food at Aunt Jane’s, because the smorgasbord is just unreal:

 
I love celebrating the hope of Easter with my family. :)

My two dishes turned out ok. I probably won’t make the green bean and corn casserole again {not even going to list the recipe}, but it was perfect for what I had on-hand. And the dip was really good – got some positive compliments on it too!

Pineapple Cream Cheese Dip

2 blocks of cream cheese {I used fat free}
1 can of crushed pineapple
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup {or more} almonds

Drain the pineapple, and blend the pineapple and cream cheese together {I used our Magic Bullet.} Stir in cheddar cheese and almonds. I served it with sliced French baguette bread and whole wheat Ritz crackers. YUM!

 
We took some pictures of our little family – I’ll post those tomorrow because this post is already massive. Monday’s are always hard for me; I hate going back to work, but this Monday was especially hard. I dream of the day when we don’t have to work!

Wondrous thing today, well, it’s beautiful out. We’re talkin’ Summer weather here, not April 4th Ohio weather. I can feel the breeze from the door I opened outside my office, and I am being continually consoled by the smell of hyacinth flowers {I stole  cut two from the planted area by our condo sign!}

 
God is a great romancer!

Lead me to the cross.

Isaiah 53:5 -

¹ Who has believed our message
       and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
       and like a root out of dry ground.
       He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
       nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

³ He was despised and rejected by men,
       a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
       Like one from whom men hide their faces
       he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities
       and carried our sorrows,
       yet we considered him stricken by God,
       smitten by him, and afflicted.

⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
       he was crushed for our iniquities;
       the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
       and by his wounds we are healed.

⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
       each of us has turned to his own way;
       and the LORD has laid on him
       the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
       yet he did not open his mouth;
       he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
       and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
       so he did not open his mouth.

⁸ By oppression ^[a] and judgment he was taken away.
       And who can speak of his descendants?
       For he was cut off from the land of the living;
       for the transgression of my people he was stricken. ^[b]

⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
       and with the rich in his death,
       though he had done no violence,
       nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
       and though the LORD makes ^[c] his life a guilt offering,
       he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
       and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

¹¹ After the suffering of his soul,
       he will see the light of life ^[d] and be satisfied ^[e] ;
       by his knowledge ^[f] my righteous servant will justify many,
       and he will bear their iniquities.

¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, ^[g]
       and he will divide the spoils with the strong, ^[h]
       because he poured out his life unto death,
       and was numbered with the transgressors.
       For he bore the sin of many,
       and made intercession for the transgressors.

Lead me to the cross on this Good Friday.

Remembering a friend.

Today’s April Fool’s Day. It’s possibly my least favorite holiday of all. I hate being punked, and I lost a good friend on April 1 my junior year of high school. Daniel Lemaster – I will not forget him or that experience. I trust that God has worked for the good in the midst of the despair and what seems to be unjust. God is just. But we certainly live in a fallen world. Oh how sad our world is, and oh how amazing it will be when “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4

How lovely and full of hope that Easter is just a few days away. Praise Him that he rose again. My heart literally aches on Good Friday. I feel so much weight that day, thinking of the deep pain Jesus took on because of me. Crushed for me. Days of darkness, hopelessness. Then! Oh then He rose again! So we wait through our darkness knowing that He will come again. He is my only Savior. He is the Ultimate Savior, and I’m so thankful that He ended the darkness. HOPE to you as dark days linger. Trust me, He is bigger than the darkness around you. Wait through the days and He will bring you Easter. He will bring you new life. Glory!

I’m currently working on a project – making some wall decor for my bedroom wall. Details to come.

Oh, and I thought this was funny…this is the stick Espn picked to carry on our walk yesterday!

 I love my pup.

Busy bee.

After work, Eugene was gone coaching a baseball game {they run-ruled the other team! I think everyone was a bit surprised!}, I was a busy bee. I took the pup out to play a bit in the sunshine. And it didn’t take him very long to find the {only} puddle filled with messy, ooey mud. Of course, a dog’s idea of heaven. So before I could stop him {mind you, I didn’t want to sacrifice my cleanliness to drag him out of the mud}, he was nose-deep in the brown wet dirt. With a mouthful of soggy grass, he’d shake his head playfully devious. He then proceeded to chew on the wet sod. Lovely.

I took him inside, toweled him off as best as possible, then decided to go run first, before I gave him the necessary bath. I ran for 25 minutes {I’m so stinkin out of shape}, and then marched the pup upstairs to the tub. And this is what remained after the shampooing:

Sick. Add to the to-do list…clean the bathroom.

Cleaned the tub. Cleaned myself {at this point I was just about as dirty as the muddy pup!} And started dinner.

My grandma Stalls called me the other week and explained a recipe she served for guests that day: Porcupine Meatballs. Interesting enough to try. I used ground turkey, but it would work with ground beef. And, I needed to use an egg, but since Eugene had the last egg for dinner the night before, I improvised with a splash of vegetable oil. Grandma used canned tomato soup as the sauce, but I tried it with cream of mushroom instead. Either would be good.

Porcupine Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey {or beef}
1/2 c. oatmeal
1/3 c. white rice {I didn’t measure…just throw it in}
1 egg
ground black pepper
onion powder {generous amount}
garlic powder
1/2 c. beef broth
1 can of cream of mushroom soup

Mix meat, oatmeal, rice, egg, and seasonings with your hands in a large bowl.

Roll into small balls and place in hot skillet.

Brown meatballs on all sides {I left the lid on}, carefully turning as they cook.

Once the meat’s browned and fully cooked, add broth and soup. Carefully stir and simmer until all is warm. Serve with mashed potatoes, noodles, or some other starch.

Dog worn out. Jane exercised. Dog washed. Bathroom washed. Dinner made. Husband happy. LOST watched. Tuesday’s checklist complete. Like I said, I was a busy bee. :)