Our First Easter Menu. Also Known As Serious Meal-Planning and A Major Step Towards Domestication.

So tomorrow, Easter Sunday 2010, Handsome and I will be in our city alone with each other.  We haven't had a holiday together and sans house guests or away from Hometown since our anniversary which isn't an all-out holiday anyway, and its one of those days where you shouldn't be in your Hometown to visit family and you shouldn't have house guests, so it doesn't count. So basically, in at least the last six months worth of days that are more like national or worldwide holidays, we haven't had one together.

And I'm thoroughly looking forward to it. 

We plan on going to an earlier-than-normal church service, after which he will take me out for my favorite omelette (Oh, whats that you say? You didn't know we were going out for breakfast? Well, sweet'ums, we totally are).  And then we will lounge, and he will go for a run, and I will prepare our fancy schmancy holiday dinner which I imagine we will partake in around 3 or 4 p.m. 

And its going to be completely fabulous for a few reasons. 1. Because I think Easter is an important holiday, and 2. because I have the opportunity to make a fancy dinner for us, since we won't be in Hometown eating with the families, and because 3. somewhere between the wedding and now I have decided I like cooking. 

So in anticipation of the day and the meal (you know how I anticipate a good meal), I have been browsing all of the best cooking websites I know. Cooking Light, Southern Living, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. And watching hours and hours of The Food Network to see what Giada and Cat Cora and Paula Dean have on their Easter Menus. 

And instead of doing the simple thing and just making of the "Easy Easter Brunch" menus that they have already created, complete with ready-to-print shopping lists and scheduled timelines, I been thinking about Handsome, and thinking about me, and thinking about what is realistic for us and what kinds of foods we would enjoy. 

So for the first time I personalized a holiday menu. (Talk about serious meal planning, people! Can I get a little applause for that?). Just kidding, but I have created something that I think is totally do-able for me. And probably for you too! In the event that you happen upon this post at some point today and have opportunity to run to the grocery store for some last minute supplies.




Our First Easter Dinner Menu
Roasted Asparagus. This is the easiest recipe I have ever looked at. Asparagus. Olive oil. S&P. Into a fairly hot oven for 10 minutes and voila. People think you are brilliant or skilled or something. 
Grilled Steak: You see, this is brilliant to include, because Handsome loves to grill. And he's rather good at it. So this makes for one less item that I need to prepare.  I'm really simplifying this way and I know Handsome will think it tastes good because he grilled it. And it will. Because he grilled it. Not to mention that  he can finally use the Williams Sonoma steak grilling rub I bought him  us for Christmas.  And I don't know how to grill so I can't give you any tips here, but maybe someday Handsome will write a how-to post about grilling and you can read it or maybe you are married to Bobby Flay  and he will have thought-out and will prepare an absolutely excellent Easter menu for you. 
Roasted Potatoes with Herbed Vinaigrette. Because. This sounds wonderful. And one roasted item is clearly not enough for a decadent meal. 
Buttery Rolls (because even if we have potatoes, Handsome can't go a whole fancy meal without a bread item as well and I really don't want him grabbing the plastic bag loaf and bringing over regular sliced bread to my fancy holiday meal for two). Oh, and I'll probably cheat and buy something ready to go at the store, because I am not prepared to spend the day making dough, especially without a bread machine.
Carrot Cake for Dessert. Because it sounds good. And because one PW recipe in a fancy schmancy meal is just not enough. Even if this is the most complicated thing on the menu. Not to mention that I probably owe Handsome a non-chocolate dish. And its spring and its Easter and honestly, who doesn't absolutely LOVE cream cheese frosting. Mmm mmm. 

Happy Eating. Happy Planning. Happy Easter. 
I'm here. And I'm still writing, 

Undeserving.

Dear Mr. Rh, 
 I was tired, exhausted actually, and had a challenging time getting myself moving. 
 So I got into the shower a little late. 
I was feeling the stress of the day, before it even started. 
And I let it touch my attitude. 
I had to-do lists running and let defeat push me down. 
By the time I was getting dressed and packing up my bag, I was already feeling discouraged and irritated and late. 
I was not happy with myself.
But someone else was loving me.
You had woken up earlier than you needed to.
 You made muffins and timed it so that they came out of the oven at the very minute I was ready to eat breakfast. 
Hot. Fresh. Blueberry. Muffins.
You set me up to print my homework on your computer and printer, so I wouldn't have to hurry to print it at school.
You let me have half of the coffee that was already in the coffee pot. 
You even pulled the freshness tab off of the new creamer for me, because for some reason I could not get my nail under it, nor could I grab ahold of it well enough to pull it off.
In the midst of my irritation, and impatience, you served me. 
You were calm and sweet and loving and helpful. And you were so very thoughtful. 
All on a morning when I was so undeserving.
Thanks, honey, for loving me when I'm unlovable. 
You were a portrait of Christ to me today. 
"...I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power... to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ..." Ephesians 3:17, 18
With love,

Snowy Christmas Eve Morning.

Well, it isn't Christmas Day just yet, but the Lord has already blessed us with a bit of the white powder! I'll take snow on Christmas Eve any Christmas. (And on Christmas day too!)

Happy Birthday to Meine Mutter!

Today is my sweet mom's birthday!
I traveled to celebrate with her and it should be a joyous occasion.

Dear Mom,

I love to shop with you.
I like to bake with you, too.
I like to watch movies and hang out with you when I am blue.

You taught me how to cook.
You taught me how to sew.
You have taught me so many things, starting many years ago.

You didn't teach me how to organize.
Or how to box up my thoughts.
But you help me when I need it, like reading my paper lots and lots.

I'm thankful God chose you as my mother.
I'm thankful for the prayers you have prayed for me.
And for the ones you will pray in the future, you showed me how to believe..

You are one of my favorite friends.
The animals, they all love you.
No one will ever replace you.


Much Love,

Something to Strive For.

Disclaimer: I don't always read forwards. Actually, I usually don't, but I did for some reason when this one came to my inbox. You may have already seen it, if you read forwards, because I'm not sure how long it has been around. Additionally, I have no way to verify if it is true, but it is touching, and I would like to believe it is true. And even if it is not true, the message, the picture of this rings loud in my heart. 

His name was Bill. He had wild hair, wore a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He was brilliant; kind of profound and very,very bright. He became a Christian while attending college.

Across the street from the campus was a well-dressed, very conservative church. They wanted to develop a ministry to the students but are not sure how to go about it.

One day Bill decided to go there. He walked in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service had already started and so Bill started down the aisle looking for a seat.

The church was completely packed and he couldn't find a seat. By now, people were really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one said anything.

Bill got closer and closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he realized there were no seats, he just squatted down right on the carpet.

By that point the people were really uptight, and the tension in the air was thick.

About this same time, the minister realized that from way at the back of the church, a deacon was slowly making his way toward Bill.

Now the deacon was in his eighties, had silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit.  He was a godly man, very elegant, very dignified, and very courtly. He walked with a cane and as he started walking towards this boy, everyone was saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what he was going to do.

How could you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?

It took a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church was utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes were focused on him.. You couldn't even hear anyone breathing. The minister couldn't even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he had to do.

But then the congregation saw what they never would have expected. They saw the elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty, he lowered himself and sat down next to Bill to worships with him so he wouldn't be alone.

Everyone choked up with emotion. When the minister gains control, he said, "What I'm about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget. Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read."

And... I would like to believe that I could be like either of these men. One with enough courage to make a place for himself, in a place where he may not fit. And the other that made him feel welcomed.  
So I'm here, and I'm still writing.

Miss Manners Doesn't Know.

So...I got a little behind on some wedding thank-yous. Mostly to people who helped out, etc., not so much with those for presents, but more with those for presence. I partly got behind because of graduate school, but the fact that I really wanted to write some meaningful, personalized notes also set me back a bit. 

So recently I got a set of notes out: Notes to a group of people who each individually mean a whole lot to me and some who also mean a lot to Handsome.

And today when I got home, there was a manilla colored envelope of personalized stationary addressed to Handsome and me. And it was the nicest thank you note back to us; a thank you for allowing that person to participate in our wedding festivities and for being a blessing to him. This is when I thought that he had been such a special blessing to us and when his actions had perhaps been a bit out of his comfort zone. (He sang a duet of one of our favorite hymns during our wedding ceremony). The note was very sweet and he started off by saying that Miss Manners might not approve of his gesture, writing a note back to us... I'll say that I was very touched and felt very honored by it even if it wasn't what Miss Manners prescribed as appropriate for the situation. Perhaps it is because manners don't always equivocate with kindness and thoughtfulness. And it was his thoughtfulness and kindness that touched my heart. So I'm thankful that not always doing the "appropriate thing" but something thoughtful can touch another in the way that the polite thing is meant to. (And because Miss Manners would probably gasp with horror at the fact that I'm still writing some thank yous).