Waiting for Patience

I've been in Charlotte 7 years and 50 weeks now and although I have considered myself a southern girl for a while now today I had a craving for chicken and waffles that would only be satisfied with some southern cooking! I'm a Southern Girl and there's no going back now! Here's to an amazing eight years and to many more decades to come!

Since Thanksgiving, I've either had company at my house, been celebrating a holiday, or traveling for work 35 days (out of 50). My eating habits (although not my exercise habits since I've been doing Daily Burn 365 every day - try it out ) have been awful! On the way home from Myrtle Beach today (for work, not for pleasure - and it was freezing there! ... but the view from my room was excellent) ... ... I decided I needed to work on eating more vegetables. I need to fuel my body better if I want to be healthier and more fit. So I stopped at the grocery store to get some veggies and set out for a healthy dinner. What'd I make? Roasted Carrot Soup adapted from here 2 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch lengths and quartered 1 jalapeno, minus the seed, cut in half 2 Tbs. olive oil 2 Tbs. unsalted butter 1 medium red onion, diced 1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger (from about 1/2-inch piece, peeled) 2-3 cups homemade or low-salt chicken broth 3 large spoonfu...

Y'all, I have eaten a lot of apple pie during my three decades of living. My dad has two apple trees in our backyard and we ate a LOT of apples as kids. He makes pies by the dozens and freezes them for later. So when I heard a story on NPR or an npr-esque podcast last week about the best, flakiest pie crust ever, I knew I had to try it. So tonight's "friendsgiving" at a friend's parish young adult group was the night! Two recipes mixed together for the best apple pie I've ever eaten (not to boast too much). Oh and this recipe gives you a chance to use up a little bit of that vodka we all have lying around in our freezers - or is that just me? And yes - the vodka makes the crust so, so flaky - so don't flake out and skip it! Now a beautiful picture and the recipe so you can be the talk of the party for your amazing apple pie! The Best Apple Pie Recipe Prep: 60 minutes, Fridge: 45 min to 2 days, Bake: 50 min Crust : 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unb...

--- 1 --- Well, I completed my first Whole30 on Tuesday!  January 5th through February 3rd - 30 days of fruits, veggies, meats, healthy oils, and okay nuts. I've been thinking about what I might write about how it went and here are my thoughts, in no specific order, and with no scientific evidence beside how I feel. If you're new to whole 30 - basically it's a nutritional restart where you thinking differently about food. The No's  are: alcohol, sugar (including added sugar in condiments and processed food), grains, gluten, dairy, legumes (including peanuts), and bad oils (ie: I only used coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil). You are also supposed to avoid SWYPO foods, basically changing trigger foods into 'whole 30' foods. The point being to create a new you and a new outlook on food.  So how'd I do? --- 2 --- Well one of the blogs I wrote said not to dive in and cook every night - but I didn't listen to that at all. I cooked like craz...

How are we going to make 2015 different than last year? What goals are you planning/making to be more YOU this year? These can be goals can be personal growth, spiritual life, physical/health, or even your love life! Maybe you don't have concrete ones yet, but it helps to talk them out and get motivated! Well I don't have a ton of concrete 2015 goals and also feel like I've already discussed them on this little blog a few times ( here and here ), but not explicitly so I will outline a few things. 1. I want to make a greater effort in deepening my friendships.  Sometimes I can get kind of lazy in friendships and don't make a good effort in keeping in touch, getting together often, or sharing important things - keeping good friendships closer to the surface rather than revealing myself.  To help achieve this goal we are beginning First Saturday Dinners - a time for us all (ladies, spouses, and kiddos) to get together, catch up on the past month, enjoy some go...

--- 1 --- The first week of work in 2015 has been long ... very long.  All of the problems we had before I left with the facilities are all still happening.  We cannot seem to solve our HVAC problems and intellectually I know that it's not my fault.  However, it feels like I just cannot get this problem solved and it's my failure.  So hopefully tomorrow when I get it it's nice and warm in our office and only one building is a problem child . --- 2 --- This Sunday (and Tuesday for that matter) we celebrated the Three Kings and the Epiphany!  It's such a fun day - usually I move my wise men closer and closer as this day comes closer, but this year I had all of my nativities around the house and since I was only home for a few days before the celebration, they all stayed put.  But having three sets of wise men is very exciting! And yes, one of my wise men is missing his head, has been for years! --- 3 --- I started my first Whole30 on M...

It's 2015 and Tuesday so that means that we are back at the Not Alone Series !  A huge thanks to Jen and Morgan for hosting and for helping all of us ladies gather together to remember that we aren't broken, we aren't alone, and we are loved by God. Let's get back in the swing by sharing what our typical day is like! Tell us however you like, minute by minute or a blurb about your day! Be sure to answer these questions:  - What is your favorite part of your day? - What is your least favorite part of your day? - Are you making any changes to your daily routine now that the new year has begun? Well my typical day use to be not so typical, but then I took a huge leap and got a new job that is a lot eaiser to have a routine that is pretty set.  I am someone who loves routine, I crave stability, and although I can make changes into my routine, they have to be determined by me to stick.  So a typical day? I set my alarm to go off at 6:46am, I get ou...

--- 1 --- Well, there's a new host in town for Seven Quick Takes ... it's been a few weeks since I shared in on the link-up fun and I've got lots to say, well, if you know me, that's not really a unique statement ... to be entirely truthful.  Super excited to link up over at Kelly's - she's hilarious, inspiring, and just seems like super fun!  So here we go... --- 2 --- Life has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster the last week or so.  Wrote a little about that on Sunday and my need for Validation .  The button that Satan uses ALL. OF. THE. TIME. for me ... trying to push him away before the doubt creeps in. --- 3 --- Thanksgiving was last week as well - and the recipes we chose for dinner were all a great success ... planning a holiday dinner for your family or friends, these would be great additions to your table! --- 4 --- MG and I tried our hand at making sushi last weekend too ... not as bad as you'd like for the first time!  C...

So MG and I cooked Thanksgiving for us and some friends of ours - the family who took me in when my house was rejecting me.  It was nice to have them and their 17 month old twins!  Great times were had by all.  Since we cooked all 'new to us' recipes, I'd thought I'd share them along to you, if you need some Christmas ideas! Breakfast: Fresh Cranberry & Orange Scones from Two Peas in their Pod  ... and there's enough for breakfast all weekend!  Score! Our Thanksgiving table was quite beautiful! Appetizers were some crackers and Cranberry Cinnamon Goat Cheese (log from Aldi). Crackers with Brie, Sugared Cranberries, Jam, and Mint adapted from Yummly Mummy Kitchen  ... no maple syrup around here so we warmed white wine and honey for the berries to soak in overnight. They were so beautiful!  And delicious! For Dinner we had Buttermilk Brined Cornish Hens from Kitchen Confidante  ... doubled the recipe to get 4. ...

A recap of the weekend in pics! A new pizza with Naan Bread as the crust , beet hummus as the sauce , all topped with spinach, tomatoes, and honey goat cheese.  And yes that is my SUPER messy desk (only one section) ... it still looks like that - until World Feast 2014  is over, I think it'll look just like this!  If you're in the Charlotte Area, come on over on the 18th of this month! All of these great fall veggies, turned into this... Butternut Squash, Acorn Squash, Apples, Carrots, Onions, Garlic ... YUM-O! No one ever brings me flowers at work ... so I took matters into my own hands by picking  my own after Mass.  So now happiness on my desk! I even attended Mass in the Extraordinary Form  on Saturday morning in Honor of Our Lady.  It was lovely - and really quite peaceful.  There was music, but I think I may have liked it even more without - just quiet morning time with the Lord.  And I could not ...

--- 1 --- The last time I linked up I was heading to Pennsylvania for my grandmother's 90th Birthday party.  Check out this super cute family picture from the event! and one of gram, the siblings, and me! Grandma, the Siblings, and Me --- 2 --- When we were home, we celebrated Amy's Birthday!  Of course, a cake was in order! Amy's Birthday (9/20) Nate's Birthday (8/31) This couple seems to have a similar "lighted candle, cake, birthday" face!  I'm glad I was able to spend time with both of them on their birthdays - seems like this is pretty unlikely to ever happen again. --- 3 --- I also had a chance to see Matt Maher at the fundraising dinner for the  Pregnancy Resource Center here in Charlotte. He gave a great concert! a beautiful girl's night! --- 4 --- When I was in New York, Nate, Amy, and I tried a roasted beet salad which was delicious (I thought I disliked beets, but I was proven wrong wi...