thankful

Some thoughts on thanks.

Famine once we had,
But other things God gave us in full store,
As fish & ground-nuts, to supply our strait,
That we might learn on Providence to wait;
& know, by bread man lives not in his need,
But by each word that doth from God proceed,
But a while after plenty did come in,
From his hand only who doth pardon sin.
& all did flourish like the pleasant green,
Which in the joyful spring is to be seen.
- W. Bradford

Psalm 136
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

2 years

Two years. As a teenager, those years seemed to crawl by. As a college student, the pace picked up. And now, as a wife and mother, I feel like I blinked and the last two years disappeared. It's amazing to look back and see the changes that 24 months have brought. A daughter. A lost job. A change in financial stability. A new job. A new church and new relationships. A summer at the beach. A loss of both Grannys. WOW. So much change.

Change. No more screaming at 3am (ok, every once in a while). No more poop blowouts (thank God!). No more bottles (and almost no more sippy cups). No more bouncers, swings, or exersaucers.

A lot of laughs. A lot of talking (is she ever quiet??). A lot of reading. A lot of pigtails. A lot of silly clothing choices. A lot of tickles. A lot of crayons and stickers.

I want to cherish this time, since I fear the next two years will disappear even faster. I love you Eesee Girl.

cooking

I like to cook, like to bake. but am famous for mishaps, both irredeemable and salvageable, in the kitchen. yesterday, for example--

**I forgot to put vanilla in my cake. Good thing it's carrot and you can't tell one bit.
**I ran out of foil, and needed to cover my dish for baking.
**I ran out of cinnamon mid-recipe so had to zest a cinnamon stick (does that even work?!).
**I am pretty sure that Miguel and Isabel have eaten more than their fare share of icing, so most likely, I will be short on that, too!
**My cake was too big for the fridge. I have no more room in the fridge and need to put in 2 lasagnas and a huge bowl of salsa. hmmm....can't fix that one!

How about you, any good kitchen antics of late?

all wet

To follow Danielle's example, I want to take a few minutes to reflect on all that I'm grateful for this week. I feel like I have been in a season of extended trial, hardship and anxiety. It would be easy for me to sit and examine every event, every relationship through that lens. I want to make sure that I am stepping back and seeing the good in even the simple. SO, here's proof that I can rejoice in the midst of suffering...er....a flooded basement:

1. A water leak that happened in the basement, so we don't have to worry about wet drywall.
2. A handy husband who quickly directed me in water clean-up.
3. An amazing aunt who drove 2 hours, just to drop off 3 huge fans and a dehumidifier.
4. The chance to purge (since we had to relocate just about everything, why not throw stuff away?!)
5. Realizing that my husband is incredibly calm under stress; I am not. What an example for me to follow.

What are you grateful for this week?

ooooOOOOoooo

It's not often that I browse websites just to browse. It causes me to want things I can't have, and become discontent with what I do have. BUT, I happened upon Petunia Pickle Bottom, and well.....I WANT one of each. Weekender, clutch, sling, yellow, red, brown, doesn't matter. They are gorgeous.... if I had $350 to spare, I'd snatch one up!
What fun finds have you stumbled upon lately?

tasty Tuesday...errrr...

...something like that. How about a recipe? are you really surprised?!

Tex-Mex Chicken with Chiles and Cheese

kosher salt black peppercorns all-purpose flour butter frozen corn kernels jalapeño chiles garlic limes oregano Cheddar

1-1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
3-1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
1 medium jalapeño, seeded if desired and thinly sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
2–3 medium limes, 1 or 2 juiced to yield 3 Tbs. and 1 cut into wedges
1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar

---

Position a rack about 4 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler to high. Toss the chicken with the chili powder, cumin, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off any excess.

Melt 2-1/2 Tbs. of the butter in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 Tbs. butter, the corn, jalapeño, garlic, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring, until the corn begins to brown lightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken, lime juice, oregano, and 1/2 cup water. Cook, stirring, until the chicken is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the Cheddar and transfer the skillet to the broiler. Broil until the cheese melts and browns on top, about 3 minutes. Serve with lime wedges.

**Fine cooking suggests serving this over rice. We used whole wheat tortillas and used this as the filling. SO good, it will definitely replace our regular "taco" recipe.

free

I love free stuff, especially free movie rentals. Do you have BlockBusterExpress near you? It's like RedBox, only blue. If so, rent a movie for free using the code

G419A

What little things are you enjoying this week?