At home making salad

It is SO nice being at home as much as I am now that school is on break. I look forward to the day when I am a stay at home mom and figuring out schedules to get home things done while caring for the children. :)

It's nice to have the time to prepare healthy meals and not feel rushed. I really enjoy cooking and it is fun for me to cook things that I know are good for our bodies! Today I did get all the ingredients to put in my "salad box", and I took that time to chop every thing up. Sometimes its hard to think of things to go into a salad and so the following are the items that I put in there to then create salads with ease:

-Carrots, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, zucchini, corn, peas, onions, avocado, celery, green pepper, olives, and tomatoes. I also have containers with craisons, walnuts, pecans, and chow mein noodles. I also need to cook some chicken and cut it into pieces to have for salads.

I find that eating salads is a great thing for the body and nice way to get a lot of good raw veggies into a meal. I know that some of the vegetables work hard toward digestion and so having some meat in the salad or eating a salad with some cooked foods is a good idea every once in a while. Too much raw food will make your spleen go crazy, but having a salad for lunch every day will make you feel good....just add some chicken to it every once in a while, or make sure to have a cooked dinner!

Well, I should be off to cooking...I'm making a Lentil, Apple, Walnut loaf and some steamed veggies for dinner tonight. Yum!

- Krystal

Kombu....

Well, today has been a great and productive day, which always make ya feel nice, right? Preston had the day off from work due to the weather, and so we went around Johnson City running errands together. Then we stopped and got some food from a great place Yamotos!

We came home and got a nap. Nice! Then I cleaned out my cabinets, fridge, and microwave. I feel good about that progress...also got the laundry done. AND -- Preston started working on a spice rack for me, which I'm very excited about!

Tomorrow I think I want to get some touch up painting done, write thank you cards, prep for my next sewing project, and spend some quality time working on my new year goals. I also need to go grocery shopping. I cleaned out my veggie draw in the fridge so it is now ready for new fresh veggies. I'm going to go ahead and cut/chop/dice/shred the veggies and things to go in little Tupperware containers I have. That way it will be easy to put a salad together.

One thing I bought today was Kombu. It is a sea plant that you can add to grains, soups, sauces, and legumes during the cooking process. Kombu is an alkalizing mineral with high iodine and iron. If you put in a small piece with what you are cooking it "reconstitutes and releases its nutrients into the cooking liquid that is then absorbed by your food." It is also a good source to help tenderize legumes and reduce their gaseous properties. There are some soups that I want to make and I'll add just a thumb nail size piece into the stock.

You can also put in a large piece into some water...let it boil...and then you have a Kumbo base for a soup!

Life is good. We had a wonderful/different Christmas this year. The snow kind of through off plans. Preston and I were unable to get to the Visser Christmas in time to see everyone, which was a bummer. However, it was nice that we finally made it and we stayed there really late playing games, which was a lot of fun.

My parents were in town. We also went to a Christmas Eve service with my sister and her husband, which was nice. We did our usual Christmas Eve pizza with my parents, and had a great Holiday weekend!

Television, regrets, and a new year!

Television. I heard on the radio that now people spend more time online than they do watching TV. I believe that, because we don't even have cable TV or the box thing - we only have the internet; however, we get the news and TV shows and we can watch movies on the internet, and so we really don't need a TV.

There are some shows that I watch on a regular basis, which I can get on hulu.com or netflix.com. My favorite TV show is The Biggest Loser (AMAZING), and then I like Parenthood, Being Erica, Project Runway, and any cooking show. Those are really the only shows I watch by myself, and I only watch them while I'm doing something else, like sewing, folding clothes, or cooking. I rarely just sit down and watch a show just to watch it. BUT, there are two shows that Preston and I are currently watching -- 24 and King of the Hill. When we eat dinner we often watch a show, and it's one of those two.

I say all this because I've been thinking about the show Being Erica. It's just a cute little show about a girl who gets to go back in time and work through some of her life regrets. She's 32, single, and struggling in many areas of her life. It's cute, and the therapist in the show is always throwing out cool quotes.

The show makes me think of regrets. I've been thinking that I do not really live with regrets. I do live with moments I might have done things differently, but I recognize that everything that has happened in my life has made me who I am today, the good, the bad and the ugly/pretty! I'm just not sure that focusing on regrets really does help, unless you look back and are able to learn from your mistakes, move on, and put the past behind you.

Yes, there are things in my life that have been lessons for me, and I would counsel others not to do; however, living as if it were a regret would be stressful and sad.

God works all things out for the good of those who love Him, and though we may have deviated from His perfect will for our lives, if we are His children, we have never deviated away from His desire to us living an abundant life. So, learn from the past, live in the moment, and plan for the future.

Live in the moment. That would be a lesson that I have learned in the last couple of years. If I am spending time with someone, but I am thinking about someone else or a problem that is irrelevant to that moment - I miss out. It is important to focus on what is in front of you, and treasure that experience right there and then. After that you can deal with what you need to, but don't get wrapped up in worry that you miss what is in front of you.

I like to read. Right now I am reading a few books, one being the short stories of Ernest Hemingway. When I read his work, I am amazed at how writers can word thoughts and ideas so eloquently. Hemingway writes in such a way that I can picture the whole scene very clearly. Maybe after years of piddling on a blog I will be able to express myself a little more clearly, allowing readers to understand what I am trying to say! :)

Anyway, I think I'm going to write a post about my goals for 2011 - NOT resolutions, because those are often overwhelming, but goals -- things to work towards -- not to change instantly over night and keep up for a whole year -- resulting in failure!

Peace out

Krystal

Pushing my buttons!

So...something new: Blogs have buttons, which anyone reading this probably knows by now. However, I did not know this until my SIL told me about these button things.

If you have a button for your blog then people can put that button on their blog. People will then see the blogs that you follow. So, you grab people's buttons and put them on your blog. Therefore, I should grab some buttons so you - the reader - can see what I like to read! I don't know if that makes any sense, but I spent a while this morning with this button thing and could not get it to work. After taking a break (and having a very productive day) I came back to it this evening and figured it out. BUT, I'm not really sure that I'm happy with the button I created.

My blog is all about me...no real theme and I change the background of my blog often. So, I was not sure what to use for my button. I think I will just leave it as is for now......and YOU should grab onto my button and put it into your blog.

All you have to do is copy the html code (wierd letters/numbers) that are underneath my button. Then go to "DESIGN" where you edit your blog page. Click on the "add gadget" and then scroll down to the HTML choice. Once you have that opened just paste the html information into the box. You can insert the title "Blogs that I follow" -- and go grab other people's buttons too!!

Blogging is fun...I think,
Krystal

What does the future hold?

Just a quick update on Preston's status. He has applied to 15 internship sites across the U.S. and he has been invited to 7 interview places. January will be full of interviews:

1. January 4th - Memphis, TN...we're driving and I get to go with him here
2. January 7th - Provo, Utah...he's flying here

3. January 10th - Hazard, KY...this is the closest one...3 hours away

4. January 14th - Chicago, IL...we are both driving here

5. January 18th - Somewhere in Kansas...he will be driving here alone

6. January 21st - Grand Rapids, Michigan...he will be driving here alone

7. Date unsure - Big Stone Gap, VA (also fairly close)

He has to submit his top choices by February 9th....then MATCH DAY is on February 25th. On that day he will be told if he was matched with any of the places. It's kind of a nervous process to go through!

His top three choices are Chicago, Provo, and Grand Rapids. A couple of those are Christian based and he really is ready to incorporate his believes into his practice.

We are praying for God's hand of guidance as Preston interviews and that the Lord work on both ends for there to be the best placement made. We trust in the Lord with all our hearts that He is in control....and if Preston does not get placed then we will stay around here for another year... happily....Preston will keep working on his dissertation and apply again next year!

Christmas Break???

So today, Saturday December 18th, officially kicks off my Christmas break. I'm finished with all assignments and internship things. I still have to work at my part time job but most of that I can do from home, which is wonderful.

Also, we have a Cumulative Exam (CE) that takes place of us having to do a thesis to graduate. So, it's like this really big essay type thing...but it's take home. So, we got the exam yesterday and it is due before Spring break. Even though I do not want to work on the exam over the break...I know that I'm going to. Next semester is going to be BUSY and so I want to get a big chunk of the CE done and not have to try to cram it into my schedule next semester!

Also over the break there is..

-staining to be done

-touch up paint

-fun sewing projects

-cooking

-reading

-relaxing

...that needs to be done! :)

Just not having school work, classes, deadlines, internship etc. makes a big difference. My to do list is now things that I want to get accomplished...oh yeah there is also organizing. I have these two cabinets in my kitchen that have become a little chaotic. I want to clean those out too!

It will be great!!!!!!! Probably by January 17thish I will be ready to go back for another round. Just one more semester.

Life is good....and God is Great!

KJV

Bags for the girls

I often make Christmas gifts for Preston’s younger sisters. This year I am making them small messenger type bags. They are not perfect but I am really enjoying the process. I find it very fun and rewarding making bags…and my head is always full of new bag ideas. So, here is a pic of my work space:

When you open the flap there are two pockets in the front and a zipper pocket on the top:

I still have one more bag to put together and it will be purple.

It’s fun and I’m learning a lot about sewing. That is a fun thing about projects…you always learn something new! For instance, I learned about making the zipper at the top where it wraps around a corner…I’d never done that before.

And it gives you a neat look on top of the bag

When I’m finished with those bags I have a purse that I want to make…I’ll probably do that after Christmas, and then I want to make me a larger messenger bag at some point.

I’m also working with my sister-in-laws on a handmade family tree wall hanging thing…which has been fun…and you can read about that on Meagan’s blog!

Fun times with sewing!