"A Woman's Work...

...is never done."

Whoever said the above quote (that I hear ALL the time) speaks the truth. I can't remember the last time I rested. But that's okay, because my work pays off. This weekend, I lost my mind and thought I would go to a school dance, sign for my volleyball future at Montreat, go to a sleep over, volunteer in childrens' ministry, go to church, go to the store, AND cook all day. All of this on about ten hours of sleep. Crazy. So here I stand--sleep deprived and hungry--cooking, writing, and texting while listening to music. So much to do, so I decided to cram it all together :) Anyways, it's time for me to get back over the stove, so here are my recipes...first, I made chocolate chip muffins and then I decided we should have dinner as well...

Shrimp Penne Pasta

What you will need:

1 (16 oz.) package Penne Pasta

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 cup Red Onion, chopped

1 clove Garlic, chopped

1/4 cup White Wine

2 (14 oz.) cans Diced Tomatoes (I just diced up some fresh Roma tomatoes)

1 Red Bell Pepper, diced

1 lb. cooked Shrimp

Grated Parmesan Cheese

What you'll do:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions

2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, stir in onion and garlic, and cook until onion is tender

3. Mix in the wine, pepper, and tomatoes, and cook about 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally

4. Add shrimp to the skillet, and cook 5 minutes or until shrimp is opaque

5. Toss in drained pasta and serve with grated Parmesan

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

What you'll need:

6 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/3 cup Butter

3/4 cup Buttermilk

1/2 cup Sugar

1 Egg
1 & 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1 & 2/3 cups Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

What you'll do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 12 muffin cups

2. In a small saucepan, melt the semi-sweet chocolate and butter together. Set aside and cool 8-10 minutes

3. Stir together the egg, buttermilk, sugar, vanilla, and chocolate-butter mixture

4. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the chocolate mixture, stirring until well-combined.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips, spoon the batter into the cups, bake for 25 minutes, and enjoy:)

Seniority

I've been dying to write about my senior year for so long. Literally dying, because I'm ready for it to be over so that I can compile a list of my favorite memories and look back over them fondly as I tuck them gently into the little corner of my mind that I like to call THE PAST. But alas, it's still here. Senior year is the present. Between school, volleyball, college applications, and a sliver of a social life, it's becoming more and more difficult for my immune system to resist my body's urge to explode with stress-induced shingles. Graduation could not possibly come any slower. Well, that's a lie, and just because I said that, it'll probably come even slower. But so far, the times that have been craaawwwllliiinnnggg by have been fantastic.

Where do I begin? Well, seeing as I have virtually no time because I'm currently filling out a college application, I'll only tell one story: the story of the sleepover. It all began with a simple plan: my parents were going out, and I was to spend the night with some of my girls, leaving Joel with the house to himself. Trey Songz's voice emitted my phone, signaling a call from Georgie. "What now?!" I thought to myself. The request was simple: Tori wanted cookie dough and Hannah wanted french fries. Shocker. Simple; I got an extra order of fries from Burger King and picked up a tub of cookie dough from Walmart. 


A chaotic night was under way. I bent a spoon in the tub of cookie dough and performed a life-saving operation on Georgie's ball of fluff that she calls a dog. Noah and James played hide and seek with me in Georgie's neighborhood and I stomped around looking for them while eating my feelings in cookie dough. Hannah and Georgie jumped me in Georgie's room because I took the cookie dough. I jumped Hannah because she jumped me and took the cookie dough. Tori and I had a Red Bull chugging competition. We did a lot of other stuff that will never be brought to the light >:) No big deal.


Finally, the boys left and we all "settled down" in Georgie's bed to watch Apocalypto. Allow me to take this time to inform everyone that attempting to have four girls in one queen sized bed, one 5'10" and one 6'2", is the epitome of insanity. After drinking Monsters and eating frozen pizza that we payed a dollar for (mistake), we all fell into a half-sleeping stupor. What happened next, I don't remember, but when I woke up the next morning, I had a broken neck and a Victoria attached to my leg. We woke up one by one, removed ourselves from the pretzel we'd made throughout the night and, without speaking, began consuming the food that was dispersed about the room while watching White Chicks. None of us knew what was going to happen. None of us knew what had happened. None of us wanted to know what had happened.


And I like these people why?

Captivated

by a drought-stricken countryside filled with open fields and pastures.

by a group of smiling little faces that beam with pleasure at the love of Jesus Christ.

by an amazing God who never ceases to speak to my heart in the most divine ways imaginable.

It all began with a phone call that would change my life. On what I thought would be just another night around the house, I received a phone call from an old family friend with  the spontaneous offer of a mission opportunity. Next thing I knew, I was on my way to a small town in Missouri called Warrensburg where I formed some truly amazing relationships and departed on my most favorite adventure so far. Over the past week, I learned that in thinking you're ministering to others, God finds a way to use them to minister to you. When I clambered into one of three 15-passenger vans, I never imagined that I'd fall in love with a small group of children on a barren reservation in Oklahoma.

The first morning, dozens of smiling faces piled into the sanctuary at Botone Memorial United Methodist Church just as unsure about learning during the upcoming week of Bible school as many of the team was about teaching it. Each leader was acquainted with their group and by the end if the afternoon all of us eagerly awaited the arrival of the next morning. The week progressed smoothly, each day bringing a new day and a new surprise. Each day, one of the younger kids would come up to me and explain to me something he'd enjoyed during the day, and then leave. I didn't know his name or his story but God put in my heart a soft spot for that particular child. Midway through the week, we took the children to the community pool where I fell in love with even more of them. It was there that my heart was captivated by 3 young children named Rebekah, Dre, and Storm. Every few minutes I would hear things such as, "When are you coming back?", "Can you stay with me forever?", or "Will you be my sister?", and my heart broke with each question or comment. By the end of the week, I had a constant smile on my face and on the last day, for the first time (from what I heard) in over a year, it began to rain.
Now for those of you who know me, I hate rain with a fiery passion. Don't get me wrong, I adore the sound and I love to watch it fall, but I cannot stand being caught in it. But as I made a mad dash for the door to get out of the rain, something stopped me and I looked around me at the smiles and tears on the faces of everyone around me. At that second, it really hit me how often I take the little things for granted. For instance, a one dollar candy bar at the concession stand is a regular occurence for me while these children treated it like gold. I treat rain as a hair-ruining, street-blocking, glumness-inducing inconvenience, while in that area, it was a rare blessing.
As I look back and remember the experience--the laughter and the tears--I can only come up with one word to describe the overwhelming sense of love that I feel for that little town in Oklahoma: captivated.

"Take the Plunge" 2011 (Pictures)

The Little Things in Life

So I'm sure I've blogged about this before, but it's a recurring situation in my life so you'll excuse any redundancy. There are the days (we all know 'em) that just flat out suck, and this week has been sucky on a pretty consistent basis...all week, I've wanted nothing more then some fuzzy socks, sweatpants, and comfort food. Today, I finally lost it and kept my sick self in bed with a book, a candle, and a hot cup of tea in an attempt to heal myself from the woes of the week brought on by the germs that are successfully taking out the high school population one by one. (pardon the obnoxiously long sentence...)
While all these things are well and good, though, I can't help but realize that the things that make me feel the most satisfied are those tiny moments in life in which you can't help but smile. Last night, for instance, I babysat a sweet little boy who I took on a scavenger hunt to pass the time while his mom was gone. While we were out gallivanting through his neighborhood on a search for flowers and bugs, he pointed out to me numerous times how cool the sky looked and how many airplanes were coursing through it. He was enthralled by how incredibly blue the sky was and we spent the last bit of our evening marveling about it over a mug filled with chocolate gelato. And after taking no more then 15 minutes to get ready today, it's nice to hear a friend tell me that I'm still pretty or to hear a chorus of "I hope you feel better, Kristi" as I make my way sluggishly through a crowded hallway. All this to say, I'm so incredibly grateful for the random breath-taking moments that God sneaks into my days when I need them the most.

Back to the Grind

Well, life goes on. Really, really fast. I have yet to complete my blog post about my Oklahoma trip, my SAT date is swiftly approaching, my laundry is piling up by the second, and the dollar amount in my bank account seems to dwindle with every breath. Dramatic, but true.
Nonetheless, the semi-relaxing time of year I like to call Autumn approaches, which is my FAVORITE season for recipes. Warm food is my favorite. Especially when combined with candlelight, an equally warm beverage, & a good book :) I have SO much I could say in this post, but I have SO much to do, so I'll stick to the recipe I tried this evening. It's Honey Soy Grilled Salmon, but I'm not even going to bother citing the original recipe because I toyed with it more then usual.

Here's what you'll need:

2 lbs. Fresh Salmon fillets

1/8 cup Parsley Flakes

1/8 cup Mint Flakes

2 teaspoons Sesame Oil

1 teaspoon ground Ginger

Sea Salt and freshly ground Pepper

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed Lime or Lemon Juice, plus extra for seasoning

2 teaspoons Soy Sauce

2 teaspoons Honey

1/2 teaspoon Sesame Seeds

Here's what you do:

yummy :)

1. Cut two slits into each salmon fillet, about 1/2 inch away from each end

2. Mix mint, parsley, sesame oil, & ginger and stuff mixture into the slits in each salmon fillet

3. Season fish with salt & pepper and broil, stuffed side up, for 3-4 minutes

4. Meanwhile, combine the lime or lemon juice, soy sauce, & honey and stir until smooth

5. Turn salmon over and baste with soy sauce mixture, broil for 2 more minutes, re-baste, and broil for another minute

6. Sprinkle sesame seeds over stuffed side of salmon and serve with veggies

New Kitchen, New Desire

While I was gone on my absolutely AMAZING trip to Oklahoma, my parents finished the "renovations" on our kitchen...I wish I'd taken "before" pics, but it slipped my mind. Anyways, our floor has been re-tiled, our walls have been painted, new light fixtures have been put in place, and a new paper towel dispenser and new silverware have been purchased (yes, silverware and paper towels do make a difference).

under cabinet lighting

new light fixture

green walls & new tile :)

And, *BAM* suddenly, a refreshed desire to use the kitchen. Tonight, I made Basil Chicken over Angel Hair (AllRecipes.com), but I doubled & added to the original recipe. Below is the recipe I used:

Here's what you'll need:

16 ounces Angel Hair

1 tablespoon & 1 teaspoon Olive Oil

1 large Onion, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, chopped

5 cups Tomatoes, chopped

3 cups Mushrooms, quartered

32 oz. Chicken Breast, cooked & cubed

1/2 cup Basil

1 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Hot Sauce (optional)

Here's what you do:

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook angel hair pasta about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. 

3. Saute the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. 

4. When the onions begin to appear translucent, stir in the tomatoes, chicken, basil, salt and hot sauce.

5. Reduce heat to medium, and cover skillet. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is hot and tomatoes are soft.

6. Toss sauce with hot cooked angel hair to coat. 

Serve alongside a nice Italian salad & topped with Parmesan cheese :)

A new little one to love :)

Welcome to the world, Clara Jane Patnode!

Photo cred: Lauren Pyles. I had to steal it:)

Yes, I know, I'm 2 weeks late. But I had to meet her before I could fully justify gushing about JUST how much I LOVE this little girl. Seriously, all you have to do is look at her and she'll steal your heart. I've been absolutely dying to see her from the moment I found out her mama was pregnant with her and I can't wait to watch her grow up to be stunning just like the rest of her family :)