Today was a perfectly splendid day

I have been a work horse the past few weeks. Not only have I been doing my shifts at Starbucks in Target, I also have picked up some extra shifts in the Deli and Bakery. This week I was only scheduled for 12 hours total, and instead of being mad about not getting enough hours, I decided to use the time to my advantage. With my birthday on Saturday (hint hint), a Sunday school social on Friday, and a wedding shower that I am hosting on Sunday, I decided to use my first day off this week just for me. When I woke up this morning it was raining, as it has been the past few weeks. I started off the morning with a cup of coffee in my overstuffed chair. After Dave left to teach summer school, I took to the kitchen. For Dave's birthday last week I made him the dessert of his choice which happened to be Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip cookies. For my birthday this week I treated myself to the same thing. My dessert of choice?



Peach Blueberry Cobbler courtesy of the latest issue of Cooking Light magazine. Dave got me a subscription to this magazine for Christmas and it has been such a joy to cook some of the recipes I have found. Not only do they have some "high fashion" meals, they have many simple things too. Between that and the subscription to Everyday Food from my brother and sister-in-law last year, I have not been struggling finding fun things for dinners.

After the cobbler I made these Bacon Cheddar Corn Muffins that I found in the latest issue also. They are wonderful and so filling. You eat one and you're full!

After my cooking adventure and a quick shower, I spent the next three hours on the couch watching the DVD of Anne of Green Gables. I recently checked out the book from the library. Dave has inspired me to revisit some of the classics from our youth. He loves young adult fiction and has quite a collection of classic youth novels. I, never having read the Green Gables series, decided to tackle the first book and reward myself with watching the DVD. It was just as good as I remembered from years ago, and I still got tickled and giddy when Gilbert and Anne had their little moment at the end and you know they like each other. My sister in law, Rachel, loves this series, and I am beginning to think I too will love it for the rest of my life. I feel the same way about Little House on the Prairie. That series is so good to me, no matter how many times I have seen it on TV or read the books (I have actually only read the first 3). It must be novels set in the turn of the century prairie days that draw me in. After the Green Gables series I am going to read the Little House series. But of course, that comes after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows.

After the movie I fell asleep for the perfect nap and woke up for an hour or so before Dave went to the mall for his hobby night. As it continues to rain outside, I am going to spend the evening catching up on emails, phone calls, planning the shower, and relaxing. Productivity starts tomorrow.

Cooper

Dave and I dog-sat again this weekend.
And he says he doesn't want a dog of our own. Liar :>).

Dave's birthday celebration!

When asked what Dave wanted to do for his birthday, he replied "nothing special, just something low key and relaxing". Well, that's what we did! After he got home from teaching summer school, we went to an afternoon showing of Pirates of the Caribbean 3, our second time to see that movie. We treated our self to some movie theatre popcorn, complete with fake liquid butter. Afterwards we went out for Dave's favorite sweet treat, frozen custard. For dinner I made salmon cakes over Caesar slaw with roasted red potatoes (courtesy of Rachael Ray).



Dave and I at the dinner table. This is a really bad picture of us, but cute none the less.

My wonderful dinner. And healthy too!

"hmmm...I think I will sneak a bite off Karen's plate. Ok...got it, that one right there looks good."

"into the mouth it goes"

"ah, worth the effort"

Happy 24th birthday Dave!

Happy Birthday Husband!

HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY DAVE!

(this picture was taken last year at his 23rd birthday.

I will take some new ones today and post them for all to see!)

Happy Birthday to Dave and Karen

Well...I have been asked to amend our little bday gift list post by Dave. While I am still welcoming the gift of choice, Dave would feel very blessed with a contribution to his efforts to purchase a new guitar.

When we graduated from HPU, his parents gave him some money for a new guitar. He had put his desire to get a new one on the back burner for a while, but more opportunities to play have presented themselves, so that old desire to purchase a new guitar has been stirred up again. So, all that to say, the perfect bday gift for Dave would be some money towards that new purchase.

As for me, my desire for the gift of choice remains the same.

Thanks!

Help from the blogger world please

I need a hobby. Quickly.

But here is the problem...all the hobbies I can think of have two problems.

1. Money....Dave's hobby cost money, but not a fortune, so I can spend a little, but not a ton of money. Most hobbies out there these days cost more money then I can spend.

2. Hobbies require patience....something I don' t have when it comes to creating or making things. I am an instant gratification person. If I am working on something artistic, I want it done as quick as possible so I can enjoy it with a glass of iced tea! I don't like waiting, shopping around, or having to spend countless hours planning the execution of the hobby I enjoy. Like scrapbooking....would be totally fun, but I am so inpatient that I cant sit still long enough to cut straight lines, or measure for that fact.

Also...my hobby has to have a purpose. For example...I love to cook, but I can't sit around all day cooking....it would all go to waste. I love to sing and thought about taking voice lessons again, but for what point? So I can sound good singing in my car? That's a waste of money. I love to take pictures, but what would I do with them all? There needs to be a point to my hobby.

So far all I have come up with is sewing. I really desire to learn to sew, but dropping a few hundred on a machine right now isn't an option. Sewing has a high initial cost, but fabric and thread is fairly priced if you aren't too fancy, and I could handle that. It's the initial cost that is bad right now. Sewing does require some patience and planning, but not enough that would drive me crazy I think. Sewing definitely had a purpose! I could make so many cute things for the house if I learned to sew. But again...the initial cost is a little much right now. I could get a cheapy machine at Wal-Mart....but if I am gonna learn an art like sewing, I want a good machine that will last and has lots of good features.

So, fellow bloggers, I welcome ideas and suggestions. What hobbies do you have that you enjoy? I want to have one narrowed down by my birthday at the end of the month so I can use some of my birthday cash (hint hint) to buy things for my new found hobby.

One Week Later

One week later and I am back on my feet working and making coffee!
I can't believe how fast I recuperated and healed. I thought for sure that I was going to have to call into Starbucks yesterday and tell them I couldn't make my shift. But low and behold, not only did I make it in, but I ran a pretty dang smooth 8 hours.

I am over the worst of the recovery. My pain is pretty much gone, except for the occasional pain I might get if I twist my torso some weird way accidentally or sneeze too hard. I have some cool looking, yet gross looking incisions healing on my tummy, and I get fatigued pretty easily. Other then that, I am back on my feet and very much looking forward to a wonderful church service today.

We had some great support from people at church. Lots of phone calls and a few dinners provided by some of our Sunday School classmates. Lydia, my sister in law, was the best babysitter ever for a day earlier last week and kept me from eating too much bad food at lunch. I am so blessed with people who care about me and want me to feel better.

Praise the Lord for good health and for speedy recovery. More later!