Wednesday Night Supper

I should be wheels down in Louisville on Saturday at 3:30.  I cannot wait!   My daddy had his knee replacement surgery Tuesday morning, and is doing great.   For church last night I made: Slow Cooker Southwestern Casserole
I had not added the brown rice yet.  I made everything else the night before, and HH put the rice in for me the following day at noon.

Buttermilk Cornbread

Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

HH made the coffee cake, and let me take a nap for a little over an hour.  It was heaven.

A Week of Rewards

I have decided that this week is going to be treat week.  I got the idea from Dots n Spots blog. Truth is I really love my kids.  I'll miss them when I go to Kentucky.  This week, they are going to earn rewards each day.  I do get the benefit of only having a four day week.  I'm not sure which of these recipes I'm going to make, but here are my ideas.  I'll update with pictures as I cook this week.
Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Muffins

White Chocolate Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies
These didn't turn out in any way like the picture on the website.  I'm sure it is because I probably took some sort of shortcut.  They still tasted great.

Nutella Sandwich Cookies

Nutella Chocolate Pudding Cookies with Strawberry Hearts Red Velvet Poke Cake
Red Hots Muddy Buddies

Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Women's Fellowship

Truth...I forgot I was hosting a women's fellowship this month until I was asked about it on Wednesday.  I had even created a Facebook event, etc.  This is a monthly thing, so I am dropping the ball a bit. The Menu: Apple and Cheddar Spinach Salad Honey-Dijon Salad Dressing

I used a Blender Bottle to mix the dressing.  I found this on another cooking blog.  When HH and I were dating, we went to another couple's house.  The man was talking about how much he loved his wife's homemade dressing.  In my head I was thinking, "Great, I can't even make dinner, let alone my own dressing."  If only I had known then how easy it was!
Spicy Broccoli Cheese Soup

There were rave reviews of this soup!  I also love any chance I have to use my emulsion blender.
White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

What did I talk about? Lent

This is pretty new for me.  I know just enough to be certifiably crazy for choosing to talk about it.  

Here are some links I am referencing as I am trying to learn:

When These Ashes Aren't Magic

Lent - I Don't Understand It

Five Reasons Why You Should Observe Ash Wednesday

Why Doing Lent is What You Really Need

Waiting in the Wilderness - You Can't Hurry the Holy

Holey, Wholly, and Holy

God Is On The Cross: Reflections of Lent and Easter

Deliberate

Cooking My Way Through Life

This week has been a blur, but I only had to work until noon on Friday, and we have Monday off for President's Day.
I wrote each of my students a Valentine's Day card, and mailed them out.  
I have memorized Romans 1:1-14.  
This time next Saturday I will be on the way to see my family!!!
Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup
No picture. Cinnamon French Toast Bake
This was for my friend Shelly's birthday.  It was very quick to make since the base of the recipe is two cans of cinnamon rolls.

White Chocolate Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies

Banana Split Cake Mix Cookies I made "blizzard cookies" for my friends at the hospital.  

Orange Crinkle Cookies

Ranch Macaroni and Cheese

Red Velvet Muddy Buddies

Crock Pot Apple Pie Coffee Cake

(No picture)

He loves me!!!

I am crazy tired....HH makes my brownies last night so I could go to bed.

He even came to school after work to give me a hug!

Fat Tuesday!

Mocha Cappuccino Cinnamon Cookies

Gingerbread Butterscotch Better than ... Poke Cake

Easy Lemon Sweet Rolls

Strawberry Cool Whip Cookies

HH and I like our King cake.  I tried to find it last year in Rapid City, and would you believe they don't have a market for it here?  I found out that you could order one online straight from New Orleans.  I ordered two for my students!  We had fun celebrating Fat Tuesday a few days early.

I thought this was pretty cool:

HH has lost 16.8 pounds.  School is staying busy, and life is humming on.  We are under a "Blizzard Warning," so HH made the obligatory trip to the grocery store.

Cooking and Pintrest

Lemon Bliss Cake

Parmesan Ranch Chex Mix

We had a "wind day" thanks to these temperatures....

Almond Crunch Cookies

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling

Eight Meals in ONE Hour!!!

This seemed too good to be true.  I had a meal to make for a lady in church who had just had a baby, and I decided to give it a go.  With the help of HH, it took an hour and four minutes.  
HH posing with Flat Stanley in front of our cultural center:

New addition to our dining room:

The idea below is from pintrest, and sparked a funny conversation between HH and I.  He says, "Honey why is there a $5.00 bill on a paper plate in the microwave?"  I reply, "I saw on Pintrest, if you put your money in the microwave and heat it up, it will grow."  "Um, I wish.  I put glitter glue on the bill, and wanted it to dry without the cats bothering it, so I put it in the microwave."

Finding Joy

I really enjoy my job here much more than in the urban district.  I'm able to relax more, and enjoy my students as people.  Though I always tried to before, sometimes I felt like there was a constant expectation for them to be little machines.  Finding joy in my work is becoming easier!
For Wednesday night church I made:

Diet Coke Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
BBQ Pork Topped Baked Potatoes
(No picture.  We had leftover pulled pork, and potatoes were an easy fix.)
Tomorrow after church, I get to hang out with some of my favorite ladies.  I made:
Peanut Apple Butter Bites

These look pretty, taste amazing, and are quick to make.
Here is one of my precious students with an ice cream cake her mom brought in:

We got our new IPhone 5s yesterday.  HH busied himself with transferring all our stuff onto the new phones.  He has a lot more patience for technology than me.  
HH has lost 13.6 pounds!

Sometimes It is OK to Cry in Your Kitchen

For Wednesday night church I made:
Oven Baked Tacos
I forgot to snap a picture of these.  They were easy to make can can feed a crowd!
Weight Watchers Strawberry and Banana Pie

HH and I celebrated the fourth anniversary of our engagement:

I have the day off for Martin Luther King, Jr holiday, but HH starts his Lakota Language class today.  I am sending him with cookies.  This goes back to something his mom did when he started seminary.  She would send him cookies, so he could pass them out at his classes and make some friends.  Who doesn't want to be friends with someone who has fresh cookies?
HH has lost 10.2 pounds!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Anniversary Cake for my friend's parents celebrating 49 Years of Wedding Bliss!
Honey-Apple Almond Cake
Yes, I cried when I was putting the icing on this cake.  It was too runny, then it was too thick, and then it was too runny again.  HH finally made me leave the kitchen as he attempted to repair it.  I'm big about doing something in a grand way for people, and not giving them average stuff.