Springtime

Sinus & allergy yuckiness had captivated my son and I all weekend. The price you pay for spending all week outside amongst the clouds of yellow pollen. The much needed pouring of rain has been ever so helpful. Yea, its good for our local drought... but it has helped clear my head!

Daisy, the beloved cat, is doing her part in celebrating Spring by shedding vast amounts of black and white hair everywhere. So nice of her to share! She knows she's got to get rid of it in a hurry and she is requesting countless pettings and brushings. This means endless vacuuming of our couches, recliner, floors, and lampshades for me.

It's better than the alternative - Four years ago, when we were detained in a Florida hospital for a month, we came home to find our once sage-green couch had turned grayish from the PILES of cat hair. It was so gross!

So, Spring forces me to get into the cleaning mode. I officially have the urge to purge. Spring cleaning fever. Today I tackled some junk drawers and a box of old baby clothes. Tomorrow, I have a date with some junk in the garage.

O Happy Day.

Recipes - Chocolate Peanut Butter Gooey Cake & Key Lime Pie

My mom and I made these 2 desserts for Easter. Both were new recipes that we had not made before and they were a hit. My family asked for these recipes, so I thought I would also share them with my faithful readers too.

1. It's Chocolate Peanut Butter Gooey Cake. I found this on recipezaar and it was a hit. Hard to not like PB & Chocolate together!

2. Key Lime Pie - we doubled this pie in a 9x13. It looked so decadent with the white chocolate curls and lime peel on top! And my favorite part was the thin layer of toasted almonds in the middle - it was so good! Sorry no pics - there's none left! :)

Crust:
1 C plain flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 C butter (no substitute)

toasted almond slivers

Filling:
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, room temp.
1 can eagle brand milk
1/3 to 1/2 key lime juice (depending on your taste)
Drop of green food coloring


Topping:
8 oz cool whip
white chocolate shaved into curls
lime zest

Cut butter into flour and sugar until crumbly. Press into pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 min. Crust will slide into pan - use a spoon to push it back up about half way through the cooking time. Finish baking and cool. Sprinkle with toasted almonds. Mix all filling ingredients together until smooth. Pour into prepared crust. Top with sweetened whipped cream. Garnish with white chocolate curls and lime zest.

Easter Hangover

It was a whirlwind of a weekend. But, in the best possible way! We were surrounded by family, good food, NCAA basketball, and a celebration of Christ. Hard to beat that. Church was great and my family really loved it. My BridgeKidz had a blast with the activities we had planned. My son sported his new linen shirt AND pants - I couldn't resist and he was adorable. I forgot to take any pictures though, as he was changed immediately after church. Suffice it to say he was one large wrinkle by the time he made it home. Absolutely worth it.

My mom, dad, aunt Kaye, aunt Toni, uncle Ron, cousin Ron & his wife Wendy all came in from out of town for our church service and for a family get-together. Mike's mom also joined us for a big Easter dinner. My son was in heaven with all the attention and gifts they brought. It was a wonderful weekend.

Which brings me to the post-holiday hangovers. Full weekend + full bellies = lazy Monday. :)My frig is busting with leftovers. Jack has new toys and candy to preoccupy him. I think the laundry can wait until tomorrow!

This week has been hectic as we are preparing for Easter. There is lots to be done - both for church and home. I am very excited that so many of my family from out of town are coming to visit and get to go to church with us!

All month long, the children at church (BridgeKidz) have been doing special lessons on getting ready for Easter... learning about Jesus and the cross, and what it means to them personally. My students are learning about how they participate in the Cross and the Resurrection. That God's immense love for us required the greatest sacrifice. The power of that love cancelled out all our wrong, and left us forever changed. Enabling a relationship with the one true God.

I was struck the other day about how much I am getting ready for Easter - physically. But, I had yet to really pause, reflect, and internalize. I don't want this Easter to pass without truly reflecting on the cross. And the grace. And the divine love for me. The love that has left me changed from the inside out.

And... I want this to be the center of my focus, not only on March 23rd, but everyday of my life.

Miscellany

1. Happy St. Paddy's day! Are you wearing your green? This is the one day a year that I am glad not to be eating at my mom's house. (sorry mom!) I really can't stand corned beef and cabbage. I know... I'm not a great little irish girl.

2. This holiday makes all the news programs revisit the whole extinction of the redhead idea, which I have already said I think is absurd. Just saw a man on the Today show who started a site to get redheads to meet and mate in order to save the carrot-tops. Um... crazy.

3. Raleigh City leaders have issued a ban on garbage disposals, starting today. New disposals cannot be installed and existed disposals cannot be replaced. Fines could cost up to a whooping $25,000/day. Doesn't that seem a bit excessive?? We are currently not under this ban, as we do not use Raleigh water. I rarely use our disposal anyway since it is ridiculously loud.

4. It's Bracketville around here. That's NCAA men's basketball tournament brackets, for those of you unfortunate enough to be outside of basketball country. We've got ours printed out and are working on our picks. Our 'Heels finished the regular season #1, and are in great condition to take the whole tournament!

5. Someone has a birthday tomorrow...

My 'lil balla

It's ACC tournament weekend and my house will be spending the weekend cheering on our 'Heels. Here's my little tarheel.

He requested that I take a picture of him doing is special spinning jump. Agility is key in becoming a great Carolina balla (that's baller, for you non-hip folks that aren't down with the lingo).

Tag

I was tagged by my friend, Becky, over two weeks ago. The rules are to post a fact about you based on each of the letters of your middle name. This was hard for me since I pretty much exhausted everything about me in my 100 Things post. After much soul-searching, fasting & prayer, and the casting of lots (I kid), here's some more facts about BridgeMom based on my middle name.

N - Nostalgic. I love reminiscing over photos and memories. Unfortunately, hubby can't always participate since he has the WORST memory. Ever seen the move The Notebook? Yep. That's going to be us.

I - Imperfect. Very much so! I want to "keep it real". Yes, I'm a Christian. Yes, I'm married to a pastor. And, yes, I struggle and screw up all the time. ALL THE TIME, Y'all! I don't want anyone to have a false perception of me that I am perfect - and I think those that know me well know better (right hubby?). The difference is that I cling whole-heartedly to the grace that God gives me, and I strive do live better for Him.

C - Computer-dependent. I research everything. EVERYTHING. My inquiring mind has to know. preschool crafts, webmd, the weather, recipes, clothes, the news, church planting stuff, the migratory pattern of the African Swallow... and anything else that happens to come to mind.

O -Outside. Greenways, parks, lakes, my backyard, hiking trails... I love them. Especially the daily adventures outside with my son.

L - Love my church. And, not because I have to!! The people are so warm, and have such a heart for service. I thank God daily for the people He has brought to The Bridge and the incredible work He is doing there.

E - Enjoy TV too much. I purposely don't get into some of the popular shows (IE Lost), because I don't want to get hooked into it too much. I really like Biggest Loser, American Idol, The Office, and 24 (although it won't be on again for a long time).

I promise not to post random facts about myself again for a long time. :)

Everlasting God

I have found so much encouragement from the song "Everlasting God" (by Lincoln Brewster) ..... "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord". I have been belting out this song around the house for about a week.

Thought I'd share - maybe it is an encouragement to you, as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP2nz6PG8KM

Crock-a-licious

Slow Cooker/Quick fix meal recipe swap was a success! We had 2 types of BBQ, Norweigian Spaghetti, Barbecue-Style Ribs, Mac & Cheese, Crock-Pot Chicken, Italian Chicken, and more! I am excited to try out some of the recipes. I debated for weeks on what to make. In fact, in my search I found some other great recipes (Bacon Ranch Chicken and Lime Chicken Tacos) and ended up making those last week for my family. Both were very good, I thought. Hubby doesn't care for lime as much, but he ate it.

For our swap, I ended up making a Parmesan-Herb Pork Loin (recipe below). I took a Robin Miller recipe and altered it quite a bit to suit my taste.


Parmesan-Herb Pork Loin

1 (2lb.) pork loin
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped celery
2 cups chopped red potatoes
1 ½ cup chicken broth
½ cup cooking white wine (or cooking sherry)
¼ cup grated parmesan
Salt, pepper
1-2.., Tbsp garlic/herb seasoning

Cut up veggies and put in the bottom of slow cooker. Pour broth and white wine over veggies. Season pork all over with salt, black pepper, & herb seasoning. Place pork on top of vegetables and top with parmesan cheese, pressing the cheese into the meat (best with wax paper). Cover on cook on low for 6, or until internal meat temperature is 160 degrees. Serve with vegetables from the slow cooker and the brothy sauce with the pork.

March Madness on Tobacco Road

O, Blogosphere. It is intense here. I am watching Sports Center gameday and I feel all sorts of butterflies inside. Today is THE game. Duke v. UNC. It's the rivalry of all rivalries. Carolina comes into the game as #1 in the country. But, the game is at Cameron (Duke's court) - and everyone knows that raises the intensity to new levels. Winner takes the top spot in the ACC. 'Heels lost the first matchup due to all our injuries. Both teams are now (mostly) healthy. Nevermind those upcoming tournaments... THIS is huge.

It is a cruel joke that the game is at 9pm tonight. Not only do I have to wait ALL DAY for the game in much anticipation, but it is also on the eve of Daylight Savings. I will likely be so riled up that it will me at least an hour to fall asleep.

Ya'll, there will be much yelling at the TV, tonight. Bridgers, I might be hoarse tomorrow!