Getting ready for the pitter patter...

...of little PAWS!!!

B and I broke down and started looking for a new addition to our family...a dog (awww). We both knew that we'd be taking this step in a matter of months of getting married, since I just can't go for too long without a furry friend. Well, I've been without a furry friend for 3 months now and I'm hankering for a little wet nose to be running around and that clickity-click of the paws across the tile floor.

So, we officially started looking for a dog this weekend. We accidentally found a purebred that we both thought was so sweet but we would much rather adopt from a rescue. We're just leary about the type of mix we might get with the rescue since when I was looking previously, most of the puppies were lab/pitbull mix (no Pit please!) Today I looked some more and found a few very sweet looking puppies for adoption and put in a request for an appointment to meet them in person. There is one in particular that we like the looks of but, personality speaks volumes so, we'll see.

We're looking to get a young, female lab mix. I prefer a more yellow or brown dog, but we'll get whichever ones is "the one". We're hoping that we'll have a new addition within the next month. We have a little work to do around the house to get ready for the little girl but I'm just tickled that we've taken the first steps!

"Flavorful"...

...That's how my hubby described a new recipe I tried out this week. He also said that he wasn't sure which part he like best, the chicken or the sauce. I was a very yummy recipe, so I thought I'd share. Oh, and it's easy too (bonus!).

Cumin Chicken Breasts w/ Latin Citrus Sauce

Rub for the chicken:
2 tsp packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp olive oil

For the sauce:
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup orange juice
3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro (finely chopped)
3 Tbsp fresh mint (finely chopped)
salt to taste

1. Combine the brown suger, cumin, salt, and cayenne in a small bowl. Rub all over the chicken. Cook in the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for ~5 minutes per side until chicken is cooked through and golden brown. Put chicken on a plate and cover, set aside.
2. To make the sauce, add the garlic to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly for about 15 seconds. Stir in the lime juice, orange juice, and honey. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and mint and season with salt and cook another minute.
3. Serve the chicken on a plate (goes wonderfully with black beans and rice). Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

It's easy and will stimulate your tastebuds. Oh, and did I mention that it's pretty darn healthy too!

P.S. I have to thank my brother and future SIL, because this recipe comes from a cookbook they got me. It's a fantastic cookbook. I've tried 3 recipes from it and they are all healthy, delicious and easy! Thanks guys!!!

...A Mighty Good Man

When "B" and I got married, I moved from NJ to PA. What used to be a 1 hr commute (each way) into work is now a 1 hr 40 min commute (each way). So, I bargained with my boss and I now work a few days from home and commute just 2 days into the office. To make the commute even easier AND to spend time with family, I spend the night every Wednesday in NJ with family and am away from my new hubby.

With the long commute, I get home late from work on Thursday nights (usually around 8:oopm) and there is always a fresh green salad ready and waiting for me in the fridge when I get home, made by my hubby.

Well, tonight here's what I came home to:


It put quite a smile on my face after a long, rough day at work. Isn't he sweet?!?

Mmmmm, flowers

Although I can't take credit for 99% of the flowers in our yard (they were planted by the prior owners), I do get 100% of the pleasure in nurturing them, watching them grow, cutting a few for the house, and enjoying the wonderful aroma of some. I'm planning a few changes to our floral abundance:

1. Thin out the irises that are starting to take over the yard.
2. Move around some of the daffodils...some clumps are too much, others too sparse, and I'd like to make them juuussst right.
3. Thin out one of my climatis plants...it's downright unruly!
4. And next year I'll corral in our lovely peonies so they don't fall over.

But for now, I thought I'd share some pics of our floral bliss. Here are some Blue Flags and our unruly Climatis:

Here is my favorite of our 4 Climatis bushes (mind you, only 2 of them have flowered so far, but this is SO FAR my favorite). Just look at that color!

This is a strange Peony bush, it grows both pink and white blooms:

Another of our Peony bushy, this was such a perfect bloom, I couldn't resist!

And here is a picture of a bloom on my unruly Climatis bush, such a nice white, with a touch of purple:

Missin' my hook

Now that the wedding is done and I've begun to settle back into a more normal sort of life. Part of that normal life is one of my all-time favorite hobbies...crocheting!

I had to set down my crochet hook after the summer ended so that I could focus on the increasing deman for my time to be spent on organizing all the wedding details. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I picked up my crochet hook a little over a week ago to begin work on a stuffed animal (my first real stuffed animal, btw). What a wonderful feeling to crochet once again, to peruse the aisles of the craft store for that perfect yarn, to feel the softness of the yarn and the relaxation in my shoulders that occurs when I settle in...ahhhh, pure bliss!

I have many friends who are expecting (babies, if you didn't guess) between now and the end of the year, so now that I've picked up my hook I'm armed and ready to create fun animals and blankets!!! I don't think I'll get all the goodies done by the time each baby gets here because 3 of them are due within 4 months of each other (rain checks anyone?) but I've started and will be a crocheting fool for the next several months!

I'm so happy with how my first stuffed animal turned out that I just had to share some photos. Here he is...

Just peeking my head in...

I know I've been M.I.A. for a couple months now, but everything has just gotten a bit hectic. So, I thought I'd poke my head in to say "HI" and briefly let my few readers know what I've been up to. Of course, most of my readers probably know 'cause it's my friends and family:)

This past couple weeks has been a complete whirlwind...what with packing boxes (for my move to PA) and having the final meetings with wedding vendors and getting the last wedding details all sorted out, printed out, and worked out. On top of that, work has really picked up, which is great, but it's been a challenge to find that balance. I'm now realizing that I did absolutely the right thing in deciding to take a full week off work prior to the wedding. It won't all be relaxation, but at least I'll be able to focus on the move and the wedding and I'll have my entire family from Oregon here to help with stuff.

I think I'll do a couple posts on the honeymoon (yeah wifi!)...reflecting on my wedding planning experience. It is so much more than I ever thought it would be. I don't mean the stress (although that's a little bit of it). I'm more referring to the many things God has taught me through the process...which was completely unexpected. I just figured it would be like planning a big party, but God has shown me so much and has blessed me in countless ways. The whole process has not been without its trials, but even those have been learning experiences. Like I said, I will share more from the honeymoon when my brain is emptied of all the craziness and I can completely reflect on my experience.

For starters, though, I have found that God has provided me exactly what I have needed, exactly when I need it. Should I know that He does this? Yes. But my being human sometimes gets in the way of what I should know and tucks itself back into the deep recesses of my mind. And I don't mean that He just provides what we need financially (though that's a little piece of it), what is even more important is how He provides for me spiritually, emotionally, mentally. The times when I've felt that I didn't have an ounce of strength to carry one more box down from my 3rd floor apartment, "somehow" I make it...the time when I felt I didn't have enough energy to handle the noise and activity of the 25+ kids at AWANAS, "somehow" the night flies by and I'm energized...and just recently when one of my bridesmaids (and myself) experience a great loss and I don't know how to pick the pieces back up enough to enjoy the last few weeks before my wedding, "somehow" my work just happens to throw a surprise wedding party for me, reminding me that it's ok to be happy. I have no doubt in my mind that the "somehow" is God.

Putting Oregon on the map!

Now everyone has heard of popular states like New York, Texas, California and even Maine and could point them out on a map. But I come from one of the lesser talked about States...Oregon. I was appalled the first year I moved from Oregon to N.J. that one of my well-educated colleagues thought Oregon was in the midwest (I guess "well-educated" is a relative term).

So, imagine my surprise to open my Snapple All Natural Green Tea bottle today (yummy, btw!) and see the following under the cap "There is an underground mushroom in Oregon that measures 3.5 miles across." So I looked it up and found out more information here! Just a little something to put Oregon on the map:)

Here's a little public service announcement about my home state from yours truly: Oregon is a beautiful state with lots of outdoorsy type stuff to do. The far western side is quite rainy, but once you get past the Cascade Mountain Range, the weather is desert-like in the summer and quite snowy in the winter.

Fragile (fra-gee-lay)

And this is why you never, NEVER mark a box "Fragile"!!!!

This is the box that one of the favors for the wedding came in. These pictures show EXACTLY how it was when I got it. Yes, that includes the top being open! Thankfully, the inside packing was fantastic and nothing was broken. Whew, crisis averted:)

So, take this as a lesson to never mark a package "fragile" no matter how fragile it is. Just make sure to pack it really well.