Christmas Goodies

december 24. 2009

It's a good thing I haven't started that New Year's diet yet. I believe New Year's was placed after Christmas for a good reason. It's also a good thing we have a congregation that likes to shower their staff with scrumptioulicious goodies (yes mom, I tried them all). As Corbyn would say "yum yum". And since people have been so kind with me in sharing their tasty treats and 5 pounds, I thought I would give a little back and partake in the sharing of poundage. So here is one of my husband's favorite holiday recipes originally given to me from my mom that Wil has requested I make every month now.

Applesauce Bread

All the ingredients

Put them all in a bowl together

Mix it all up

Put in containers and put in 350 degree oven

While it's cooking have some laughs

Walla! All finished!

Recipe:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 box vanilla instant pudding

1 cup applesauce

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup oil

4 eggs

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon (or a little more if you like)

Merry Christmas Eve!

All Things Christmas

december 20. 2009

Awww Christmas time! I have distinct memories of the advent season. My mom putting out the nativity scenes without baby Jesus in them (He didn't make His appearance until Christmas day). Driving up the scariest road desperately trying to sleep so I didn't have to look down the steep mountain with no guard rails as we drove to a Christmas tree farm for hot chocolate, a petting zoo, and of course a perfectly shaped tree. Bringing that tree down the hill, untangling the lights to put on the tree, my dad stringing the lights two, maybe three times if they weren't perfect, then picking out all my favorite ornaments and making sure they were front and center on the tree. I remember always going to this street where it was their streets "law" to totally deck out their house in lights. I remember singing Christmas carols, drinking egg nog, and dressing up in my black, red, or green velvety dress for church (you had to dress up to celebrate Jesus' birthday).
I thought I would share some of the things in my house that make me smile at Christmas time.


The first ornament I ever bought for our tree. "Why a butterfly, that's not very Christmasy"...it stands for new life and we were just starting our new life together when I bought it.


Our First Christmas married!
The top of the tree with the star that will never stay strait hehe.
Christmas table
Snowmen...the only, and I mean only thing, I have ever collected.
Wil believes candles should always be lit in winter, I think it makes him feel like it's Christmas time =)
Merry Advent!

A Modern Day Love Story

december 19. 2009

You take two different personalities, two different pasts, two different ways of looking at life, two different definitions of clean, two different tastes in television shows and you get harmony? Yes, but not very easily.

I love love stories. A good love story tugs at the heart and gets the tears a flowin (at least for this soft soul). But our definition of love is jaded. Disney teaches us at a impressionable young age, you always get the guy, fireworks will go off the first time your lips finally meet, that instead of walking you will be joyfully skipping through the streets. Though I have not found love to be exactly like this, darn, the love I have found looks more beautiful, more full, more like this...

Not having to change a diaper the first two weeks of my son's life
Making the bed
Paying for a chick flick on a Friday night
Coming home to a clean house
Selling his bike to help me save for a camera
Looking through hundreds of pictures encouraging me
Putting down a book in the middle of a chapter to chat with me
Listening
Laughing
Knowing the best and worst about me and continuing to love.

This to me is real love.

photo by: Bethany Steinmann

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

december 7. 2009

Is happiness a choice? I have been on quite a few short term mission trips to the slums of Mexico, seen houses that only have porta potties, dirt floors, and 10 people living in a two bedroom 800 square foot home and they are genuinely happy. Then I have seen people who from the outside seemingly have everything but are unhappy and unsatisfied. Not that I think you have to have a smile plastered on your face all the time but I do believe you can choose happiness, even in a found pair of keys, peppermint ice cream, or warm laundry.

I have decided every other Monday I am going to share my thumbs up, the things in my life that definitely make me want to cheesily smile, scrunch my shoulders up to my head, and hoist my thumb to the sky in approval. But since I am also realistic I will give the things that make me frown and give a thumbs down.

Thumbs Up

Ugg boots- This to me means winter has come and my toes are in their fuzzy, warm home (I have officially broke out the ugg boots today as it is snowing!)

Fresh Flowers- They just make you feel better and your table inviting

Amazon.com- They have some awesome gift ideas for great prices

Thumbs Down

Diapers- I will be potty training my son as soon as possible, he may not be able to walk yet, but he will be doing his duty on the potty

Egg nog ice cream- so good, yet so not good for you

Creatively addressed junk mail- the outside makes you curious so you open it and learn it's still junk mail

Just because this face is always a thumbs up and so are pictures!

Make it a happy week everyone!

90 years does not separate them

november 23. 2009

Four generations of Ryland's! Corbyn has some deep, wonderful genes to uphold.

Corbyn was a little more interested in PooPaw's comb in his pocket than me taking a picture

PooPaw showing Corbyn how to drive an ATV

The boys are wearing outfits that their Great-Grandmother made Wil when he was a baby

He is 1

november 23. 2009

He's sweet, he's innocent, he's athletic, and all boy! And now he is one. This is my nephew and he has grown so fast over the past year. It is amazing that when a baby is born all they can do is sleep, eat, cry, and poop and one year later he can walk (more like run), throw a ball, tell you when he's hungry, even climb onto the top of the desk. What a baby learns in a year compared to what we learn in a year puts us to shame. It truly is amazing what God can do in a year.

Happy Birthday Nephew! Love you!

Watching the Leaves Fall

november 16. 2009

We are all busy. We have responsibilities that require us to be somewhere, do something, majority of the time. I remember as a kid when the trees lining our property leaves would fall off and going out with my dad raking them into a pile and jumping into them with my brother. I can still smell the distinct, yet indescribable, scent of the leaves as the smell soaked into my sweatshirt. I love fall and yet it happens so fast, one day the leaves shine bright gold and red, and a week later they crunch into hundreds of pieces as we tromp over the fallen mess rushing to be on time. Last weekend when Wil and I were driving, again hurrying to make it to our destination before the baby woke from his nap the memory of jumping in leaves brought a smile to my face so I decided to pull over and enjoy the beauty of fall.

Coca-cola

I rarely drink caffeine but sometimes on a hot day a soda sounds soooo good, especially from a glass bottle as the beads of water drip down your hand.

Bethany and Ryan went into this little country store and emerged with four glass bottles of coca-cola and when they came out I yelled from across the street "don't move" with enthusiasm that they could have thought they were about to walk in front of a train and then I snapped a couple pictures of them with their coke in front of an old coke sign. Awww...how I miss summer.

Dedicated Parents

Being a parent is a humungo job. Making sure they get all their shots, having snacks in your purse if your away from the house more than 30 minutes, even checking their bed one last time before your head hits the pillow just to see if their sleeping peacefully. It's a job that is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week but would never want to quit. But the hardest thing, I would think, about being a parent is raising your child in a way where they know God loves them and they love God in return.

In the Church of the Nazarene parents stand up with their children and dedicate them to the Lord, promising to teach them Christian values, while the church vows to walk alongside them and help reveal Jesus to these beautiful children.

These are some of Baby S and Baby R as they are being dedicated in front of the church.

Proud daddy

Baby S wore the same dress for her dedication as her mommy did when she was dedicated in the same church...how special!

Jeremy + Melissa: Engagement

november 2. 2009

Jeremy and Melissa love Dave Matthews band. They enjoy his music so much that they traveled from Arizona and followed Dave and his band around Southern California last year hitting up every single concert camping along the way. The last concert was in San Diego and Jeremy surprised Melissa with a nice hotel, complete with a bed, that I'm sure was a nice, well-deserved reward for camping the whole week. He also surprised her with a beautiful ring asking her to spend the rest of their lives together. That week they got to do two things they absolutely love, listen to the bluesy jazzy jam rock of Dave Matthews and spend time together.

Jeremy and Melissa I am honored to call you my friends, you are two very thoughtful and caring people. I am so excited for your wedding next summer as I get to witness the formal celebration of your love. Congratulations and happy wedding planning!