Thankful Thursday #1

Well, it is already about a week into November!  Wow!  It's amazing to look back and see how much has changed in 2013 so far.  Sometimes I look back and think about how quickly it has gone.  And yet it feels like it's been forever too!  (I know, so cliche!)

For the month of Thanksgiving, a lot of people post one thing they're thankful for on Facebook each day.  I think it's a lovely idea, however, I've decided to adapt it so I can blog about the things I'm thankful for rather than post them on Facebook.  So, this month I decided that I am going to write a "Thankful Thursday" post each week with a few things I'm thankful for!

1. I am honestly so thankful for Thanksgiving.  It's one of my favorite holidays for several reasons.  If I had to choose one holiday to label as "the most selfless", it would definitely be Thanksgiving.  It's all about reminding yourself of how good you have it, even though we don't deserve all these blessings.  And it's about family.  There's really no other agenda than to sit around the table sharing stories, laughing, helping each other, playing games.  And food.  (Of course I would love the holiday that is all about food!)
2. I am thankful that the Lord has caused one of my dearest dreams to come true.  I live in Florida, mere single-digit miles from the beach.  Wow!  God has caused my two biggest dreams in life to come true so early, and I can't thank Him enough.  His generosity blows me away.  What's the other big dream, you ask? Well, not to be overly sappy, but it's Thomas.  Since before I was a teenager, I prayed that God wouldn't give me the opportunity to date a bunch of boys who weren't the one.  I just wanted my husband.  And God answered that prayer enormously!  In fact, I was so focused on waiting for my husband that he had to work pretty hard to make me pay much attention to him in the first place.  But, once he and God got me to pay attention, I knew he was the one less than two months after we started dating.  God gave me so exactly what I wanted that I wasn't even really looking for it yet!  He answered faster than I would have ever even thought to ask for!  I am ever so thankful for my God!
3. I'm thankful that tonight is the last football game of the regular season for the high school I work with.  Though the team made the play-offs, this is the last regular game the band is going to.  (I don't know if we'll go to the play-off games or not, but we'll see.)  I'm thankful that the band only has to stay to half time so that I can come home earlier than usual!
4. I am excited and thankful that I get to hang out with some girl friends this weekend and see Beth Moore speak at a conference!  I haven't had a "girls weekend" since before Thomas and I got married over 5 years ago, and I am so incredibly excited!  And Beth Moore's Beloved Disciple study has touched me so much over the past few months, so I just want to bask in that as long as possible, and seeing her speak live seems like a great way to do that!  I am so thankful that she is obedient to the call God places on her life.
5. Ooh!  I'm thankful that Thomas and I got 3rd place in trivia last night!  Woohoo!  (I know this one is silly!)  But it's just so fun to find something new to do together that isn't expensive.  We have a lot of the same interests and hobbies, but we don't always get to enjoy some of them because we're on a budget, of course.  So this (almost) free activity is so much fun for us, and it helps that we're a good team!

Well, I've got to get going for that football game tonight, so I'm going to stop there!  I hope you stop and take a moment to think of some things you're thankful for.  If you'd like, feel free to comment with them; it's always wonderful to rejoice in each other's blessings!

Today You Get a History Lesson

"Remember, remember

the fifth of November,

the Gunpowder treason and plot.

I know of no reason

why the Gunpowder treason

should ever be forgot."

(English Folk Verse c. 1870)

Today is Guy Fawkes Day!  I'm not sure I've ever heard of Guy Fawkes Day, you say.  Well, that's because it's a British thing.  Here's the scoop:

Guy Fawkes lived in the late 1500's and early 1600's in Protestant England.  During this time in history, religion was a very important and touchy issue.  There were many people who wholeheartedly embraced the new Protestant era, but there were also those who held fast to their Catholic heritage.

James I, the current King of England, was a protestant.  And there were some Catholics who wanted to overthrow him in favor of a Catholic ruler.  Guy Fawkes was one such man.  Though he did not hatch the "Gunpowder Plot", he became an integral part of it.  The plot was to blow up the House of Lords while the King and the Parliament members were inside, sparking an overthrow of the entire government.

After months and months of planning, the fateful night of November 4, 1605 arrived.  Guy Fawkes was in charge of making sure the 36 barrels of gunpowder that were piled in a room below the House of Lords would be detonated correctly on the following morning as Parliament opened.  However, you've never heard of anyone blowing up Parliament before because Fawkes was arrested just after midnight on November 5th, mere hours before the months of planning would have paid off.

Fawkes was the tortured for several days before he confessed the plan.  Afterwards, he was sentenced to a gruesome death, but he managed to jump from the gallows after the rope had been tied around his neck in order to meet his death more swiftly than planned.

Though this isn't a particularly fascinating history lesson, it is one that has lived on in English history.  To this day, people across the country still celebrate Guy Fawkes Day and burn his effigy at bonfires to commemorate the plot.

Today, I'm going to celebrate the day by watching "V for Vendetta" (a movie in which a man tries to recreate the plot in a future version of England) and eating toast (that movie always makes me want toast)!

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

Apple Raisin Oatmeal

Generally speaking, I don't love oatmeal.  The texture grosses me out.  It's so blech.  But, the only oatmeal I've tried in years is the instant stuff.  Obviously not the best quality in the world.  But I love love oats.  Granola is a huge fave of mine.  And I love crisps and things that have baked oats as a topping.  So, like I said, it's the consistency of the oatmeal that I don't like, nothing to do with the taste.

With that in mind, I was absolutely dying to try a crock-pot oatmeal recipe that I've seen on Pinterest a few times.  I finally got around to throwing everything in the crock-pot late Saturday night for breakfast on Sunday.  And I actually liked it!  The consistency was less yucky and the big chunks of apples and the juicy raisins helped.

Though this would never be my favorite breakfast option.  I would always choose a huge, hot, fluffy baked good hot out of the oven.  But this oatmeal is a great change up.

Apple Raisin Oatmeal
Adapted from: Pinterest  (I'm not sure what the original source is.)
Serves:  about 6

Ingredients:
2 sliced apples (I used small-medium Gala, and I cut very thin slices and then cut the slices in half.)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 cups oats (I used old-fashioned oats)
2 cups milk
2 cups water
1/4 - 1/2 cup raisins (I eye-balled it.)

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker in the order listed.  Do not stir.
2. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
3. Stir in raisins and allow them to warm for a few minutes.
4. Serve.

If you're not a huge fan of oatmeal consistency, I'd recommend this recipe. 

Enjoy!

An Update and a New Project

So, it's not that I haven't cooked in the past few days, it's just that I haven't cooked anything new to blog about.  Well, that's not entirely true.  I made an apple pie on Sunday, and it definitely needs to make it's way onto the blog.  The problem was that it was gone so fast, I completely forgot to photograph it.

So, beyond not having recipes to blog, there's not much going on in my life.  Band is super busy at the moment; our big competition is on Saturday, but still it's coming to a close.  Thomas goes to work. I clean the house, do laundry, cook, go to band.  We do some stuff together.  Our life is not what you would call "incredibly interesting" right now.

We did go back to counting calories this week.  After taking a break for several months, Thomas decided he wanted a little refresher.  It's so hard to not eat too much.  I just love to make food and eat food so much.  It's been a struggle for me to not eat too much now that I'm not teaching too.  Because, when I was at school all day, I didn't have access to a bunch of snacks.  Now that I'm home a lot more, there are always snacks in the next room, and my brain wants me to eat nonstop, even if my tummy isn't hungry.  So, we're doing a little refresher counting calories for now.

My only news is that I just warped up a new project.  Here's a sneak peek!

I don't love traditional fall colors too much, but this has a little bit of a fall feel without being too drab.  I'm going to try a new technique with this one, so I'm excited to see how it turns out!  It might take a while though, the lace technique I want to try is a little intricate and can be monotonous.  We'll see though!

So... One of Those Days {Lundi Little Lovelies}

Yep.  So, I'm having one of those days.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  When you have to look really hard to find the little lovelies in your day or your life.  

The dumb thing is that the main reason I'm feeling this way is because I just finished reading a book.  And it ended all wrong.  And this is one of the countless times in my life where the following is incredibly appropriate.

I always need a little time after finishing a book to fully process all of it.  I'm a really fast reader, so I want everything to last longer, even though I can't help myself from reading too fast.  Thomas always makes fun of me, but I go through a withdraw after finishing a book.  I'm sad that I don't have anything to read, but I'm also not emotionally ready to start another book.  So anyway, let's move on to the part where I try and point out somethings that are good in life and not all wrong like the stupid book I just finished!

Ridiculously, the first one that comes to mind is movie trailers.  Confession: my internet homepage is the Internet Movie Database.  It has been for years, and I don't see it changing anytime soon in the future.  I just love movies!  And one of the reasons that this site is my homepage is so that I can watch the newest previews for movies basically as soon as they come out.  I have been known to lose all track of time sitting in front of the computer watching preview after preview after preview.  They are about as mesmerizing as the movies themselves.  I even have a few old previews that basically make up a list of "Best Previews of All Time (In Rachel's Opinion)", and I will actually go back and re-watch these previews some days.  And just for your benefit, I'm going to pause typing this and do just that, because I know you are just dying to know what previews make my list!  *wink wink*

1. If I had to choose, the #1 best trailer of all time would go to Clash of the Titans (2010).  It's perfect.  Seriously, I get chills, forget to breathe, can't help but smiling when I watch this preview.  The lines they chose to include, the editing, the way the music fits so, so perfectly with the sound effects and the tone of the video.  The music and the perfect editing get me every time.  Surprisingly, though, the movie was sorely disappointing after having watched this preview countless times.  It was too fast.  It could have been so epic if only the movie had been longer.  I also really like the trailer for the sequel, Wrath of the Titans.  The Marilyn Manson song creeps me out, but it just goes so so well with it.
2. Another of my favorites is Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.  I just love that movie, and they captured some of the best moments of it in the preview.  It's a great blend of humor and action.  Probably my favorite part is at about 2:00 minutes when the music and the sword fight between Jack and Davy Jones matches up perfectly.
3. Atonement is one of those previews that I watched I-don't-know-how-many-times before it came out.  I was just captured by everything they didn't tell you.  I simply had to see it and learn how the story ended.  And, of course, my sweet husband (then, fiance) took me to a theater halfway across St. Louis to see it when it came out because it wasn't showing anywhere close to us.  He's pretty wonderful!

 Well, I could probably name a lot more if I would resign myself to sit here on the couch for the rest of the afternoon and watch a bunch more previews, but I am going to attempt to be more productive.

Another little lovely is the gym that is now mere steps from my front door and the fact that it is FREE!  Yay!  Though I'd rather sit here all afternoon watching trailers and eating cupcakes and Oreos and pie, etc, I am going to go work out instead.

Hm... what else makes me happy today?  Hm...  Oh, yeah!  I almost forgot!  The weather!!!  It has been absolutely magnificent the past few days!  Just perfect.  On Saturday, Thomas and I loaded up the car with the lacrosse sticks, a blanket, our Kindles, some snacks, and my color guard rifle and sabre and went to a park all afternoon. It was glorious!  We walked around the park for a while and talked, threw the lacrosse ball back and forth, and then found a spot in the shade to lay around and read.  I also practiced spinning my sabre (which I haven't done in years).  Yikes!  It was the most perfect afternoon.  And then, to top it all off, Thomas took me for milkshakes afterwards.  Seriously, it was like the best day I've had in a while.  So lovely.

Well, I'm going to end on that happy note.  I should probably get my lazy butt off the couch and finish the laundry and go work out and find something productive to do!

Mom's Lasagna

Hello hello!  Today I'm going to share yet another recipe from my family cookbook.  This is another one of my mom's.  Also, Thomas is always up for lasagna.  Everytime I give him a choice between lasagna and something else or just tell him that that's what we're having for dinner, he gets really excited.

One of the things I love about lasagna is that you can customize it really easily.  Sometimes I make it with ground beef or Italian sausage, and sometimes I'll go meatless.  You can easily adjust it to make any size pan so you can feed a couple or a crowd.  And you can always use your favorite brand of sauce or mix it up with some different Italian cheeses.  It's so easy to play around with so that you get slightly different results each time.

But, as always, the worst part about making lasagna is actually making it!  The layers take some time (especially because I tend to be a perfectionist), but other than that, it's a great meal that is also delicious for leftovers.

As you'll see in the directions, my mom has a specific way of layering everything.
Noodles first...

Then sauce (she adds the ricotta on top of the sauce, but mine always turns out with big lumps of ricotta in some places, so I mix the ricotta and sauce together and add it in one layer)...

Then both mozzarella and parmesan cheeses...

And repeat until you're finished!  I usually do about 4 layers, but it's really up to you and how thick/thin your layers are, the height of your pan, when you run out of ingredients, etc.

As you can see from the photos, I made my lasagna in a 9x5 pan this time.  I didn't want a whole pan of it in the fridge for the next week (that is waaaay too many leftovers for me), so I made two loaf pans and stuck one in the freezer for some other time.

Mom's Lasagna
From: my Mom!
Makes: a 9x9 pan, 7x11 pan, or two 9x5 pans

Ingredients:
12-15 lasagna noodles
1 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage (or you can also omit)
12 ounces mozzarella (or other Italian) cheese
15 oz. tub ricotta cheese
Regular sized jar of pasta sauce
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook lasagna noodles as directed on package.  Drain to dry.
2. Brown meat in a skillet and drain (if including meat).
3. Add pasta sauce and ricotta cheese to meat and stir to combine.  (You can also add some spices if you like.  My mom likes to add oregano, and I usually throw in an Italian seasoning blend that I have.)
4. Layer ingredients in an ungreased pan in this order: noodles, sauce mixture, mozzarella cheese, parmesan.
5. Repeat until your pan is full or you run out of something.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Serve this up with a fresh salad and some Mess Up Bread, and you've got a delicious homemade meal!  Enjoy!

I Love Trivia! {Wednesday Wins}

Whoop whoop!  Tonight, I really have a win!

Thomas and I have started going to our local Buffalo Wild Wings (one of our fave restaurants) for live trivia on Wednesday nights.  And this week...  

We came in 2nd place!!!!!

Now I know what you're thinking... That's not really a win.  A win = 1st place.  However, 2nd place still got us a $30 gift card to BWW!!!  Woohoo!  So, next week, we get dinner for free while we try for 1st place!

Yaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy!!!!!!!!

That is all!  : )