Busting a Move!

I have decided to start a new blog, as this one doesn't really seem to suit my purposes anymore. Please visit me at: Life as a Trigonometric Function

Testing 123

No heat? Fire up the oven!

Please ignore the mess that is our cook top!

This morning, for the second morning in a row, our heat stopped working. Ish called the front office of our apartment complex and they sent Mr. Maintenance Man out to take a look at it. While we were waiting, the temperature in our apartment continued to drop. As I do not deal well with being cold and I actually had some energy this morning (it’s a first trimester miracle!), I decided to bake some pumpkin spice muffins using a recipe my aunt had given me. Our apartment warmed up to a comfortable 70 degrees by the time Mr. Maintenance Man finished fixing our heat thanks to the oven being on. We also now have about 32 muffins left after eating breakfast. I think we might deliver some to Ish’s parents and one of his sisters.

Menu Plan Monday--11/30-12/6 (Dinner Only!)

Planning meals is something I’ve never been particularly good at doing on the fly. Thus, I like to plan my meals for the week. Lately the exhaustion and nausea that accompanies early pregnancy has me finding myself really lax in completing this once a week task. Today, I got myself back on track and actually planned a menu! As I told Ish, these plans may not come to fruition; morning sickness isn’t really a predictable thing.

Menu Plan:

Monday- Scrambled eggs and oven fries (the “we just got back from vacation and haven’t grocery shopped yet” dinner)

Tuesday- BBQ chicken, Cheesy broccoli and rice, pineapple

Wednesday- Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Pork, brown rice, cucumber slices

Thursday-Cheesy bean burritos with salsa, carrot sticks, brown rice

Friday- Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili, tortilla chips, guacamole

Saturday- Pasta, tomato sauce, carrot sticks

Sunday-Manager’s Special (aka Ish’s day to cook)

For more menu plans, head over to I’m an Organizing Junkie.

1000 Gifts- 21-40

This week has been one of illness here at Chestnut Hollow, but there is still so much to be thankful for.

Thanks be to God for…

21. A delightful visit with my mother-in-law—reading translations of Miltonic sonnets and a hot cup of tea included.

22. Weekly afternoon visits with one of Ish’s sisters and her son.

23. A facebook post from my brother letting me know he made it to the Middle East safely.

24. The many military men and women sacrificing their lives for their country. May God keep them safe.

25. The time spent with Ish’s family on Friday.

26. A cold that made me remember to be thankful for my health.

27. My dear friend Livia.

28. The prayers of friends and family.

29. Steaming hot homemade soups.

30. Amusing e-mails from my mother.

31. Working hot water.

32. Cookies and milk after Mass.

33. Afternoon naps.

34. Our Brita pitcher (Unfiltered Newark water makes me quite nauseous)

35. 3 blissful months of marriage!

36. The beautiful sunset on the way to Mass yesterday.

37. The sweet quiet time spent decorating for Halloween with Ish.

38. The passing of my headache that I had for almost 5 days.

39. Joyful news.

40. My husband who so kindly made me lunch this afternoon

1000 Gifts- 1-20

I have decided to join the Gratitude Community at Holy Experience in appreciating and recording the many gifts that God has bestowed upon my life. I will be posting 20 gifts I am thankful for each week. Thanks be to God for…

1. My wonderful husband who has been lovingly caring for me while I am sick.

2. My nieces and nephews who never cease to entertain me.

3. Chicken soup and hot chocolate.

4. My mom.

5. Colorful leaves and the brisk fall breeze.

6. Warm sweaters.

7. All the summer veggies preserved in my freezer.

8. The Rosary.

9. Snail mail from friends far away.

10. The squirrels that visit my patio door each day.

11. The beautiful sacrament of marriage.

12. The way my nephew Simon makes these cute little squeaky noises that sound like he is asking a question

13. This past Saturday’s indoor picnic with a couple of dear friends.

14. Homemade pizza on Fridays at Ish’s parents’ home.

15. Having the time I need to rest and recover from being ill.

16. Hand knit/crocheted afghans to keep me warm.

17. Clean laundry.

18. Modest skirts and thick tights.

19. Sunday night stir-fry.

20. Getting to enjoy my morning coffee with my husband

Fall is for freezing!

Autumn has finally arrived in Delaware; the leaves are changing colors, and the squirrels are burying nuts in the soil in front of Chestnut Hollow. The cooler weather is a welcomed change, but I know that I will soon miss the sunny fresh taste of summer vegetables.

Last week, in order to preserve a tiny bit of summer, Ish and I went to the Farmer’s Market to buy an abundance of fresh vegetables and herbs. I spent several days preparing the vegetables to be frozen. My Tuesday was spent making a double batch of roasted vegetables; admittedly, we ate half the batch in different meals through out the week, but the other half is sealed in a freezer bag ready to be pulled out for a midwinter treat. Wednesday morning I spent making several batches of pesto—some regular and some with basil and mint. I froze the pesto using my muffin tins and some saran wrap; I’m sure glad my mom taught me this trick. Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, I dedicated myself to chopping a rainbow of bell peppers. I now have about a quart each of red, green, yellow, and orange peppers in the freezer. This is not only more cost effective than buying peppers in the middle of winter (in season vegetables are much less expensive), but summer peppers, even after being frozen and defrosted, taste much better than those found in the grocery store midwinter.

This week I am looking forward to preparing a few more vegetables for freezing as well as making a batch or two of homemade applesauce. What is brewing in your kitchen this week?

Obama's cameo on Dragnet

My husbands uncle made this video.

Blessing the rain...

Happy Feast Day!

Today we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Most appropriately I stumbled on this quote from the beloved author J.R. R. Tolkien:

"All my own perception of beauty both in majesty and simplicity is founded upon Our Lady."

Happy Feast Day!

Never forget.

“Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew. “
- President George W. Bush

Forays in Fiber!

Hi all! I just wanted to let everyone know that I am back to posting over at Forays in Fiber, the knitting/crocheting blog that Meg and I started earlier this year. Feel free to stop by and check out my current knitting project.

This blog will be back to regular updates by the end of this month. I am trying to create a more solid vision of what I want The Bantering Bookworm to be.