Just in case you didn't realize… Chipotle opens today!!!
And if that wasn't great enough, I also, probably, will be able to pick up my car today, complete with its new doors! Why is my car having two new doors installed? On Sunday, August 1, our alarm didn't go off. Jared had to be at church 15 minutes from the time I woke up and looked at the clock to practice a song and for praise team practice. So he jumped out of bed and quickly left for church. I assured him I could just drive myself (this was only the second time since we have been married that we had planned to drive separately, I say planed because I never ended up driving). Jared left, I took my shower, boiled water, pealed peaches, sliced up peaches for a pie, packed a change of clothes to decorate for VBS, and various other things.
Around 9:10 I walked outside, leaned over and picked up the paper (we receive the paper on Sundays for Fwwwweeeeee because Jared is a student), opened the back door behind the passenger door, threw in the paper, and then noticed glass all over the back seat and the window shattered, with a four or five inch hole in it. I walked around and saw the driver's door handle was dented in about an inch (not a lot) and there were several dents in the door behind the driver's. I called Jared. I called Mom. I called Dad. I called Jared again. I sat on the front steps and cried. Everyone I knew and loved was at church or on their way there; no one would be checking their phones for two or three hours. I was all alone. I sent Jared a text; I figured he might miss me once church started and check his phone. I called Anna. I called Luke. I called Sarah. Sarah picked up around 9:25!!!
To shorten this story, Jared came home, I gave him a huge hug, we called the police, they came by and said my car was vandalized (but nothing on the inside was touched, so I don't really know why they would break the window or hit it), and we made it to Sunday school. Yay. It took until Wednesday to have the insurance come out and look at it. Wednesday? I mean, that is four whole days. That is silly. The insurance tried to tell us that we would have to pick up our rental in Lexington Park, Md. For those of you that don't know where that is, google it, it is directly across the bay and south of us. By car it takes 3 hours and 10 minutes to reach there. The insurance said it was the closest place. Thankfully, after spending two hours arguing with them and them promising to even come pick us up (they weren't understanding the whole three hour trip thing), they let us rent a car at the airport. YES!
So I have been driving this little go-cart of a car for the last 2 weeks. It is great on gas and I love parking it! It is so nice to fit easily in parking spaces. I will miss that. However, I miss my car. I miss not having to worry about it picking up dents and dings in the work parking lot. I miss the comfortable seats. I miss normal. I miss being able to find my car. Ha. This car is too small and I forget what it looks like. Thankfully it has New York plates and I have been able to locate it that way.
Over the past few months I have had a real problem at work concentrating because the woman I work next to is constantly calling her family (and friends) and talking (loudly) on the telephone (in her language). While she does this she plays minesweeper (or some game which requires constant clicking of the mouse). It drives me crazy and headphones don't seem to block it out. Grrr.
Anyhow, today I started off the day by praying about this specifically instead of letting it bother me. God cares about the small things too, right? All morning she left her desk and visited her friends around the plant (jnstead of talking on the phone). When she was at her desk she just surfed the internet and played computer game, but didn't talk on the phone. This was so unlike her and I knew it wouldn't last. I said a quick thanks to God for the temporary relief a few times during the morning and let Him know how much I loved the peace and quiet. After lunch, I just KNEW she was going to talk on the phone because she ALWAYS does for the last two hours or so of her day. She made two phone calls and each time I prayed they wouldn't be long. Ha. She was off in less than five minutes, probably closer to 2 minutes. She has called several people this afternoon and they haven't been home!!! YES!! That practically never happens. This is so great.
Hooray. Hooray. Hooray for a God who cares about the little things in life. It has been nice to have a day without the constant drone of her voice on the phone. What a great day! Praise God. I am still amazed that she is not on the phone. She'll be leaving work in half an hour! I have made it almost a whole day without hearing a few hour long phone conversation. I love it!
Grilling – it keeps the house cool and it tastes amazing. Plus, I can grill all sorts of favorites that I thought could only be done in the oven, like pizza and feta chicken. I am working up my nerve to try some desserty things on the grill. I really think it would work.
Porches- my dream is to have a house one day that has a nice big porch on the front and I can watch people and the sun or just the wind in the trees. Sigh.
watching sunsets (or sunrises) – I need to take time to watch more. They are each a work of art. God is marvelous.
it being dark later and light earlier – it makes climbing out of bed easier (so does being married and knowing if I get out of bed I will be rewarded with a hug)
fireflies – has anyone noticed more of them this year? YAY!! I was just thinking I hadn't seen them in a while and then I notice them this summer. Maybe I just wasn't looking the past few summers.
fresh fruit and veggies – I love not eating starches with dinner and lunch. I feel so much better.
tubing – it is kind of scary, but it scares the laughing right out of you. Mainly, I like spending time with family and friends!
sudden thunderstorms (or any thunderstorms) – I like them. They are fun to watch.
The smell of rain coming soon – so refreshing
fresh peaches – enough said
gold paint still on my hands – from painting for VBS last night. I love VBS and reformation party. Those are two of my favorite times of year. I love creating!! I love working with young people and seeing them serve others. It is very refreshing. I'm glad the youth group is helping to decorate. That is great.
the smell of fresh cut grass – YAY!
wildflowers along the roadside
grass between toes/fresh tilled dirt between my toes
grilled corn/steamed corn/any kind of fresh corn
fresh salsa – it is such a refreshing snack
skirts!!!!!!! – one of the best things about summer is wearing happy, crisp white skirts and cheerful, bright colored skirts. They are so light and airy. <3 <3 <3
fresh blueberries – I eat them by the bucket.
shorts, especially soccer shorts – so comfortable
antique shopping outside with Jared, anything with Jared – ha ha
picnics – if the weather would cool down, I might go on a few. I eat my lunch outside under a tree out front of Harvard if it drops belong 80 degrees.
traveling, especially when it involves seeing something new or visiting friends/family. Oh Germany, I want to visit you again someday. And oh how I wish I could have gone camping with my family this last week, but at least work has been busy and has gone pretty quickly.
Driving with the windows down – okay so I have to do this because my ac in my car broke. Ha.
Air conditioning – in the house, in my car, at work, and other places I go. It hasn't been working at work or in my car. It makes me thankful for the other places.
Fresh food and skirts would probably be my top two things. I figured I would mention again how awesome fresh food is. My mouth has been so happy recently. YAY, for summer!
In other news, Jared and I finally made it through Lord of the Rings. What a great book (or books)! It has been so much fun having Jared read to me while I cook, bake, and sew. Marriage is so much fun. I love being married. We are going to visit the Grandis this weekend and going to see a play. That should be a blast. I miss living with them. Work is as amusing as always. I am very thankful for my job. Happy July 22, everyone. Happy 3 years and 1 day anniversary to Linnea. How exciting!!!
Thanks to Sarah Meadows Foley, for the great worship music cds she gave me for my 21st birthday. They are a staple of the music that I listen to at work (along with all of Indelible Grace's hymn (check them out if you haven't ever heard them because they are AMAZING!! I own all seven cds they have put out. Thanks to my mother for having the last one shipped to my house as a great surprise). This is one of the songs that have been stuck in my head all week.
Give me one pure and holy passion
And give me one magnificent obsession
Give me one glorious ambition for my life
To know and follow hard after you
To know and follow hard after you
To grow as your disciple in your truth
This world is empty, pale, and poor
Compared to knowing you, my Lord
Lead me on and I will run after you
Lead me on and I will run after you
Last night, while Jared was at the men's retreat, I made granola and yogurt. They both turned out wonderfully! I have tried several different granola recipes and they have all turned out terribly. They are all very floury and gross. I've gagged down a lot of them, but in the end I have just had to throw them away. Sigh. I was so happy to find this recipe. It seemed to simple when I first read it, but I really like the flavor. These are going to be a staple in my house from now on. I mixed the yogurt with peaches today and brought it to work for my breakfast. I sprinkled the granola over the top. It was so good!! I also tried a little bit of the granola with milk last night; it was also good. I am thinking of adding a few more things to my granola and also, I want to try to make it a little for clumpy (if that is even a word). Right now it is just very loose granola. But this way I won't ever break a tooth trying to eat it. :)
In case you want to try to make either, I have included the recipes below. The recipes are from one of my favorite websites, The Frugal Girl. If you haven't ever visited her delightful little site, please do. She is incredible. And for all my Salisbury readers, she lives just on the other side of the bay and is in a PCA church…. How cool is that!?!
I have added some of my own comments in throughout the recipe. I fourthed both the granola and yogurt recipe. I will probably half both of them next time.
Granola
2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup salted sunflower kernels
2 cups raisins
(I left out the sesame seeds and sunflower kernels, (like the frugal girl, but I would really like to add the sunflower seeds, I think they will be a really nice addition). I also didn't have almonds, but I they are on my grocery list now so I can make another batch of this yummy granola.
Directions:
1)In a small saucepan, combine honey, oil and brown sugar; cook and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat; add vanilla.
2)In a large bowl, combine the next five ingredients.(note: This does not include the raisins.)
3)Add honey mixture, stirring until evenly coated. Spread onto two ungreased (I sprayed PAM on mine) baking pans. Bake at 300° for 20 minutes, stirring frequently (let's just say, I stirred it four times the entire 40 minutes I had it baking…). Stir in raisins. Bake for 10 minutes.
4)Cool, stirring occasionally.
Store in an airtight container. Yield: 10 cups.
Homemade Yogurt (makes 4 quarts, which will keep for at least a month in the fridge)
For vanilla yogurt directions, see the bottom of the recipe. I made the vanilla recipe. I didn't add a lot of sugar because I figured the fruit would be sweet, but I ended up having to add more sugar to my yogurt when I ate it today. But my plan is to wean myself off super sweet yogurts.
Ingredients
1 gallon of milk
1 cup yogurt starter(you can use a small cup of plain Dannon or Yoplait yogurt, or you can use a cup from your previous batch.) I used Dannon because it was on sale at Super Fresh this week (starting yesterday). I bought containers for 29 cents! Woohoo.
1. Place four quart glass canning jars, four lids, and four screw-tops in a large pot. Fill with an inch of water; cover with lid and heat to boiling. Boil for ten minutes. Leave the lid on the pot and move it off the heat until you are ready to use the jars. I sort of do this… I usually dunk them in hot water and let them sit there for a while. I stuck in a saucepan last night and let the water boil around it.
2. Pour one gallon of milk into a large, heavy bottomed stockpot or Dutch oven. Heat the milk to 185-195 degrees Farenheit(90-90 Celcius). I wisk the milk as it heats up.
3. Place the pot in a sink filled with cold water and let the milk cool to 120-130 degrees farenheit(50-55 degrees celsius). This part is really awkward for me to hold the pan down in the water and wisk (but probably only because 1 quart of milk isn't heavy enough to sink to the bottom of the sink). This happens really fast.
4. Stir one cup of yogurt starter into the cooled milk, using a whisk. Stir well to ensure that the starter is thoroughly incorporated into the milk.
5. Pour the milk into jars, and put the lids and bands on. Place them into a cooler. I put the jars in the sink (after I have drained it) and pour into the there because otherwise I make a mess.
6. Heat one gallon of water to 120-130 degrees F(50-55 degrees C) and pour into cooler.
7. Shut cooler lid and leave in a warm place for three hours. When the three hours are up, place the yogurt in the refrigerator. I left mine overnight (about 8-9 hours) and it was finished in the morning. I put it in the refrigerator before I left for work and it was quite thick. I drained some water off the top before I packed some in my lunch/breakfast.
To make a delicious vanilla version of this yogurt, add 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar to the four quarts of milk when it's cooling in the sink. Then stir in 1-2 tablespoons of vanilla, depending on your preference, and proceed as usual with the recipe. Remember, I 1/4thed this recipe: I put in about 1/8 of a cup and ½ a tsp of vanilla. I think I would put in more vanilla next time.
Other than that I have simply been doing a lot of cooking and reading. There isn't anything too exciting to report. I might be teaching two chemistry labs at SU next semester. If I do, I will have more access to internet and I might post pictures. :)
Easter was a lot of fun because my parents had a bunch of people over including, the Taylors, Seips, Mae, and Jared and me. I love being a member of a large family and an even larger church family. It makes me so happy. I made lemon meringue pie and key lime pie. I think they are two of the easiest pies to make. Anna and Andrew taught me how to play tennis afterwards. I never knew tennis was such a fun game. I would really like to learn how to play it now.
God is good. He has been very faithful to Jared and me. We feel very blessed.
