"Miss Social Worker? Do you think we could look at some colleges in Virginia?"
"Sally, you know that your financial aid will only work in North Carolina."
"Wait, Virginia isn't in North Carolina???"
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
I miss blogging
I do. But it's hard to know what to write about, because I have landed myself in trouble on numerous occasions in the past. I'm sure everyone is sick of my vegetarian recipes by now, but I don't really know what else to say.
Well, I guess I can write about how quickly our lives have changed in the past 3 months! As you may have read from one of my previous entries, I'm in grad school now. Finally. I'm getting my MA in counseling from Liberty University. Most of my classes are online, which is great. It's a little annoying that people tend to discredit online programs. It requires a lot of discipline and so far I have learned a lot. Also, I don't think I could actually get a masters any other way. I've been so stinking sick lately with my RA that being able to take my classes in pajamas on my sofa has been a major blessing.
The other big news is WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!! Jon would like to make it very clear that nothing is final until we close, which won't be until November. (however, things are looking very good and I'm almost positive we'll be moving in.) We are building our home about 10 minutes away from where we live now. We've had a blast picking out the flooring and other design aspects of the home and can't wait to move in! It is a 3 bed, 2.5 bath town home... which means NO EXTERIOR MAINTENANCE! Seriously, I have no desire at all to have to re-shingle a roof, maintain a yard, etc. I don't know why anyone bothers to own a single family home at all... I am too lazy to do all that work. I'm also psyched that our house is under warranty for 10 years, so we will have almost nothing to worry about once we move in.
Jon is doing amazing, by the way. He is healthy as a horse. Still on blood thinners, but he's doing well with those. He has been riding his bike to work, which is 3.5 miles away. He is crazy. I'm so happy that he is doing ok and that he is still here with me.
Well, that's all for now. I'll be back with a recipe and or/boring life update soon.
Well, I guess I can write about how quickly our lives have changed in the past 3 months! As you may have read from one of my previous entries, I'm in grad school now. Finally. I'm getting my MA in counseling from Liberty University. Most of my classes are online, which is great. It's a little annoying that people tend to discredit online programs. It requires a lot of discipline and so far I have learned a lot. Also, I don't think I could actually get a masters any other way. I've been so stinking sick lately with my RA that being able to take my classes in pajamas on my sofa has been a major blessing.
The other big news is WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!! Jon would like to make it very clear that nothing is final until we close, which won't be until November. (however, things are looking very good and I'm almost positive we'll be moving in.) We are building our home about 10 minutes away from where we live now. We've had a blast picking out the flooring and other design aspects of the home and can't wait to move in! It is a 3 bed, 2.5 bath town home... which means NO EXTERIOR MAINTENANCE! Seriously, I have no desire at all to have to re-shingle a roof, maintain a yard, etc. I don't know why anyone bothers to own a single family home at all... I am too lazy to do all that work. I'm also psyched that our house is under warranty for 10 years, so we will have almost nothing to worry about once we move in.
Jon is doing amazing, by the way. He is healthy as a horse. Still on blood thinners, but he's doing well with those. He has been riding his bike to work, which is 3.5 miles away. He is crazy. I'm so happy that he is doing ok and that he is still here with me.
Well, that's all for now. I'll be back with a recipe and or/boring life update soon.
farmers market chowder
i'm making sure to take advantage of the last month or so of fresh, local veggies... yum!!
2 zucchini, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 ears corn (cut the kernels off)
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
3 cups water
1/3 cup flour
1 1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 cups cheddar cheese (i used pepper jack because thats what i had in my fridge and it turned
out excellent)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
3 vegetable bullion cubes
2 tbs butter
salt, pepper, sugar
in a large soup pot, melt 2 tbs butter. sautee zucchini and onion until tender.
mix in flour, basil, and parsley. add dash salt, dash pepper. gradually add water and bullion cubes. bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook and stir 2-5 minutes.
add evaporated milk, corn, and tomatoes. bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes until corn is tender.
add cheese, stir until just melted. add a pinch of sugar to taste.
ps- my soup came out a little watery because i used regular milk instead of evaporated...
Saturday, August 13, 2011
summer luvin' brushetta
summer=fresh tomatoes=love
6 or 7 roma tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
6-8 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 baguette
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
parboil the tomatoes for 2 1/2 minutes, drain and then rinse with cold water. use your fingers to remove skins. quarter and remove seeds/juices, then chop. mix with the garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and basil leaves.
cut thin slices of the bread and brush one side with olive oil. toast on the top rack of your oven, oil side up, for 5 minutes at 450*.
i prefer to NOT top the bread with the brushetta before serving because the bread gets soggy. rather, i serve the bread on a plate and the brushetta in a small bowl. it's also nice to serve this with a little feta cheese to sprinkle on top. if you're feeling really fancy, you can drizzle some balsamic vinegar on the bread plate. enjoy!
makes about 8 side dish servings... or if you are lazy like me and don't feel like cooking anything else, 4 main dish servings.
6 or 7 roma tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
6-8 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 baguette
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
parboil the tomatoes for 2 1/2 minutes, drain and then rinse with cold water. use your fingers to remove skins. quarter and remove seeds/juices, then chop. mix with the garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and basil leaves.
cut thin slices of the bread and brush one side with olive oil. toast on the top rack of your oven, oil side up, for 5 minutes at 450*.
i prefer to NOT top the bread with the brushetta before serving because the bread gets soggy. rather, i serve the bread on a plate and the brushetta in a small bowl. it's also nice to serve this with a little feta cheese to sprinkle on top. if you're feeling really fancy, you can drizzle some balsamic vinegar on the bread plate. enjoy!
makes about 8 side dish servings... or if you are lazy like me and don't feel like cooking anything else, 4 main dish servings.
Monday, August 8, 2011
tamale pie
Sorry my blog is boring.
Here's one of my favorite recipes.
TAMALE PIE
2 cans of beans (black bean, pinto bean, kidney bean) try to pick 2 different varieties
1 pepper, chopped (I prefer red but green works too if you're on a budget) You can also do 1/2 green pepper and 1/2 red pepper if you want, this adds some color
1/2 or 1 onion, chopped
1 4 oz can of diced grean chile peppers, undrained
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced (or some garlic powder)
6 oz vegetable juice (1 small can of V8 or Wal-Mart brand)
1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix, 1 egg, 1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, or whatever you happen to have in your fridge)
dash cumin
dash chili powder
dash cilantro
Preheat oven to 400* and grease a glass pie pan (or other glass dish that's about the same size, about 2 quarts)
Sautee the pepper, onion, and garlic in 1 tbs oil until tender. Stir in beans, vegetalble juice, chile peppers, chili powder and cumin. Heat through. Spoon into prepared dish.
Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions, add cheese and cilantro. Stir until just combined. Spoon cornbread evenly over the top of the bean mixture. Bake uncovered at 400* for 20-25 minutes until golden.
I based this recipe from one I found in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. I love it because you can mix and match what items you have (like different varieties of beans, peppers, cheese, and clean dishes) and it comes out great. I'm always changing up what I use and probably have never made it the same way twice. Plus you get a whole pie/casserole dish worth of dinner for only a couple bucks worth of ingredients. The best part? It tastes AMAZING when you heat it up later in the week for leftovers!
Here's one of my favorite recipes.
TAMALE PIE
2 cans of beans (black bean, pinto bean, kidney bean) try to pick 2 different varieties
1 pepper, chopped (I prefer red but green works too if you're on a budget) You can also do 1/2 green pepper and 1/2 red pepper if you want, this adds some color
1/2 or 1 onion, chopped
1 4 oz can of diced grean chile peppers, undrained
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced (or some garlic powder)
6 oz vegetable juice (1 small can of V8 or Wal-Mart brand)
1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix, 1 egg, 1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, or whatever you happen to have in your fridge)
dash cumin
dash chili powder
dash cilantro
Preheat oven to 400* and grease a glass pie pan (or other glass dish that's about the same size, about 2 quarts)
Sautee the pepper, onion, and garlic in 1 tbs oil until tender. Stir in beans, vegetalble juice, chile peppers, chili powder and cumin. Heat through. Spoon into prepared dish.
Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions, add cheese and cilantro. Stir until just combined. Spoon cornbread evenly over the top of the bean mixture. Bake uncovered at 400* for 20-25 minutes until golden.
I based this recipe from one I found in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. I love it because you can mix and match what items you have (like different varieties of beans, peppers, cheese, and clean dishes) and it comes out great. I'm always changing up what I use and probably have never made it the same way twice. Plus you get a whole pie/casserole dish worth of dinner for only a couple bucks worth of ingredients. The best part? It tastes AMAZING when you heat it up later in the week for leftovers!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
BAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
I GOT A 96% ON MY FIRST EVER GRADUATE LEVEL TEST!!!!
I hope this motivates me to keep going.
I also hope this does not encourage me to continue to procrastinate... I took the test about an hour before the deadline. Oops.
But I GOT A 96!!!!
Oh, I guess I haven't mentioned what I'm even talking about. As I'm sure you've guessed, I have FINALLY started graduate school. I am working towards my MA in professional counseling. It's a hybrid program with mainly online instruction, but some brick and mortar classes. I should be done (and provisionally licensed!) in about 2 year.
I'm going to a evangelical school. This is a new experience for me, but good one. It's funny though. I was so worried that when I went to grad school I was going to always be the most conservative one and constantly taking heat for it. Ironically enough, I am easily the most liberal of my classmates this semester and now I'm taking mild heat for pushing some touchy issues. (not gonna lie, it's kind of fun). I am happy to be in a conservative setting. I applaud those who are brave enough to go and get their MSW's from public schools and who speak up for their beliefs all the time... but I'm glad I'm not one of them! That sounds stressful. ;)
I hope this motivates me to keep going.
I also hope this does not encourage me to continue to procrastinate... I took the test about an hour before the deadline. Oops.
But I GOT A 96!!!!
Oh, I guess I haven't mentioned what I'm even talking about. As I'm sure you've guessed, I have FINALLY started graduate school. I am working towards my MA in professional counseling. It's a hybrid program with mainly online instruction, but some brick and mortar classes. I should be done (and provisionally licensed!) in about 2 year.
I'm going to a evangelical school. This is a new experience for me, but good one. It's funny though. I was so worried that when I went to grad school I was going to always be the most conservative one and constantly taking heat for it. Ironically enough, I am easily the most liberal of my classmates this semester and now I'm taking mild heat for pushing some touchy issues. (not gonna lie, it's kind of fun). I am happy to be in a conservative setting. I applaud those who are brave enough to go and get their MSW's from public schools and who speak up for their beliefs all the time... but I'm glad I'm not one of them! That sounds stressful. ;)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
on adoption
I lied. I'm not going to write about my opinions on politics. They have caused enough problems on facebook! It's been actually pretty funny to watch my liberal and conservative friends argue. It's weird having very liberal views on some things and very conservative views on others. It's also weird being more left wing than most of my church friends, and more right wing than my work friends.
Anyway.
Here's something I DO want to write about. Yesterday I had the opportunity to witness a brave, selfless mother place her child for adoption. I had been with her when she made the decision to place, and she had asked me to be with her when the time came for her to send the baby home with his new family. It definatley ranks up there in the top 2 emotional days at work. It was so sweet to watch the two mothers interact with each other- they both cared deeply for this baby and each other. This baby is so lucky. He has so many people who love him. Especially his birth mom, who knows she can't provide the life she wants for him. She also has such a love for the adoptive couple. Ever since she picked the couple, she has talked about them non stop and how happy she is to be able to bless them with a baby. I have so much love and respect for this young woman and all birth moms out there. They are amazing, amazing people.
Anyway.
Here's something I DO want to write about. Yesterday I had the opportunity to witness a brave, selfless mother place her child for adoption. I had been with her when she made the decision to place, and she had asked me to be with her when the time came for her to send the baby home with his new family. It definatley ranks up there in the top 2 emotional days at work. It was so sweet to watch the two mothers interact with each other- they both cared deeply for this baby and each other. This baby is so lucky. He has so many people who love him. Especially his birth mom, who knows she can't provide the life she wants for him. She also has such a love for the adoptive couple. Ever since she picked the couple, she has talked about them non stop and how happy she is to be able to bless them with a baby. I have so much love and respect for this young woman and all birth moms out there. They are amazing, amazing people.
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