Card Catalogue Valentine's

Remember going to the library as a child, learning how to use a card catalogue to look up books instead of the Internet? Well, I'm not really old, but I did grow up learning about ol' Dewey Decimal and how to look up a book using the ancient card catalogues. I really hadn't given card catalogues a lot of thought lately (um, no surprise there, right? Internet, yes, please!) but I relived my elementary school days yesterday when A and I got a Valentine in the mail.

My sister sent A and I the CUTEST and definitely most creative Valentine I've gotten in a while. Of course, my sister definitely has the creative gene in the family! :) She got a card out of an old card catalogue relating to love, and drew a picture on the front that corresponded with the title. On the back she wrote us a note for Valentine's Day. If I can figure out how to upload pics on here, I will post a picture of it. Cheap (aka free) minus the stamp, but seriously, awesome idea!

Thanks, Al, for the totally cool Valentine. Yours is in the mail...but it's not near as creative!

Snowy Weekend

(I am such a goober. I forgot I had already posted on Friday night from work, and so the first part of this post was a repeat of what I had already posted!)

We went to dinner last night with Samuel and Andrew's other brother, his wife, and their daughter who is about to turn one. Chili's was a MAD HOUSE--in fact, there were so many kids there, I felt like I might be at Chuck E. Cheese! I guess people just wanted to get out of the house after the first storm and before the second one hits. I really hope I can make it to work this week!

Last night I finished the book The Glass House by Jeanette Walls. It had been sitting on my shelf for a while, but it was not until I downloaded her newer book, Half Broke Horses, on my Kindle that I decided to read her first one. She is a great writer, and I was captivated from the beginning. It's an easy, yet interesting, read, and I am excited to read Half Broke Horses (which I'm reading for an online book club). I'm also wanting to read Water for Elephants before it comes out as a movie. I am LOVING my Kindle that my sweet husband bought me for Christmas.

I have lots to do this week around the house, including tackling a large pile of laundry that needs to be put away, so I better log off and get busy!

Until next time,

E

Snow and Birthdays

My sister sent me a text on Wednesday morning that said, "Does your whole state really shut down for a foot of snow?!?!" My response: "Yes. But that will not stop me from getting to work." I mean, I really didn't have a choice! The nurses who had been working since the storm hit were pulling 16 and 20 hour shifts, while sleeping at the hospital in empty rooms during their short breaks of time off. I wanted to get to the hospital and do my job, although I was VERY nervous about making it on the roads. However, my amazing husband got me to and from work safely, and hopefully next week won't be my turn for getting stuck at the hospital (they are predicting more snow/ice for next week).

In other news, today is my mother-in-law and one of my brothers-in-law birthday! We were going to all go out to eat tonight, but I don't think my mother-in-law will be able to make it back into town. So, hopefully it will be postponed, and until then...HAPPY BIRTHDAY Elizabeth and Samuel!! We love you guys and hope you both have a wonderful day!

What's in the Oven? No Boil Baked Penne Recipe

I signed up for an OT shift this afternoon, A is at school, and there is a storm on the way. I thought I would go ahead and get something in the oven for dinner tonight. I adapted this recipe from Plain Chicken's blog (plainchicken.blogspot.com) so I'm sure it will be delicious! I plan to serve it with salad and homemade bread.

No Boil Baked Penne

1 jar pasta sauce (24 oz).-I used heart healthy!

1.5 cups water

15 oz. fat free ricotta

2 cups part-skim mozzarella, shredded

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1 lb. sausage, cooked and crumbled (I used Jimmy Dean Italian)

8 oz. uncooked whole wheat penne pasta

Oregano (as much or as little as you desire)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 9x13 pan; set aside. Combine sauce, water, ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, sausage, parmesan, and penne. Pour into 9x13 pan and cover with foil. Bake for 55 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining mozzarella cheese; bake for another 5-10 minutes until bubbly.

It's Beginning to Feel Like...Fall!

Well, the last time I posted it was just beginning to feel like spring. A lot has happened since then! I had every intention of getting back to blogging, but for some reason my layout just disappeared. So, I had a plain white blog with writing I could barely see, and no time (okay, no motivation) to fix it. Well, tonight I decided, if I have it-I better use it!

So now, an update on what we've been up to. Sweet husband finished his first year of seminary, took a May term, and is now in his second year. We are both still working at our same jobs and staying super busy, although making time for each other, family, and friends.

In the coming posts, I hope to share more detailed updates on what we've been up to, recipes, book reviews, and maybe even some movie reviews (husband might have to be a guest writer on those).

And, if any of you readers out there in Blog Land have suggestions for future posts...let me know! :)

How I Met My Husband

First of all-Happy Birthday to my sweet husband today! Kelly's Korner is doing "Show Us Your Life-How You Met Your Husband" so I thought I would join in this week. What a perfect day, considering I am making today all about my husband! :)

A and I met our first day of classes at college. I walked into my (required) Concepts in Fitness class to discover a bunch of junior and senior guys. They all looked so old to me! And then, in the corner, was this sweet looking, brown haired, brown eyed guy who looked a little scared, himself. Come to find out, he had been homeschooled, and this college thing was a whole new experience for him! Anyways, I sat down near him and we made small talk. Over the course of the semester we made small talk in class, and occasionally outside of class in the cafeteria or just on campus. I did think it was a little suspicious when he jumped out of the flower bed outside my dorm to say hi to me (in his defense, he worked for the grounds crew and had "volunteered" to do it) and tried to catch me to chat after each class period, and eventually figured out he must kind of like me. But, I had a boyfriend at the time, and it was not in God's timing for us to start dating...yet.

~Come back soon to read the rest of the story!~

Spring Break!

Well, this week is spring break for most people around here. Of course, when you are big and grown up, you usually don't get one of those (except if you are a teacher, I guess). Anyways, in honor of everyone else's spring break, I thought I would share my plans for the week:

Monday-Andrew's spring break day off (and no work for him, either!)

Tuesday-Bowling and/or watching The Office with Ben & Carissa

Wednesday-Mom here! Pedicures and shopping!

Thursday-Andrew's cardiologist appt. and work

Friday-Work

Saturday-Work

Wow-try not to be jealous of my exciting "spring break." Actually, I'm kind of excited; this is more plans than I've had in a long time! :)

AND, since about middle school, the Friday before spring break signals to me that it is okay to wear...FLIP FLOPS!