Apartment Living

We finally got all moved into our apartment this past weekend. Except for a few remaining boxes of clothes that belong to myself, we've gotten everything unpacked and in it's place for now. It was so sad to go back to the house Sunday and see it completely empty. Just a shell of a place that we've spent the last 3 years making a home. It sounded hollow and seemed to be mourning our departure. Then, I reminded myself that another young family was eagerly awaiting to make this place home, and enviously envisioned them enjoying this place for the next several years. I'm really happy for them, and am sure they will be blessed as a family as we were during our time there.

As for the apartment...wow. I had forgotten how much privacy you lack in these places. I'm pretty sure the family above us is harboring Clydesdales. Atleast 3 of them. We only have blinds on the windows and having a lit-up parking lot just outside at night is a little odd. We have to take Buster for regular walks now instead of just letting him out into the back yard. Although, he seems to be enjoying having free reign of the whole apartment. In our house, we kept him restricted to the kitchen, laundry room and master bedroom to protect the wood floors in the rest of the house. Here it's all carpet or tile, so no worries about doggy feet on the floors. The kids think they are super cool though because they know so many kids around us. I have to say, I've been pretty suprised at how people just let their little kids roam around unsupervised throughout the complex. They play in the parking lot! We had to have a strict rule meeting with our kids to explain that they would not be enjoying such freedoms while we are here. Their bedrooms are large and they both have monster sized closets, so they are happy with their extra space. It is a minor adjustment to live with for just a few months...and I'm sure we'll make it through.

Valentine...

Got to see my Daddy this afternoon and he gave me and the kids our valentine. For as long as I can remember, Daddy has given my sisters and me those tiny heart shaped boxes with chocolates in them. Even when Richard and I lived in England, he shipped them to me. Valentine's just wouldn't be the same without them. Now he gives them to all of the kids, as well, I'm sure that Russell Stover is happy.

I got a sweet Valentine from my son, they painted picture frames at school and the teacher took their picture and printed it off and put it in there. My daughter's class used empty boxes of Sweettart Hearts and made a magnet picture frame with her picture in it. My husband and I gave them each a box of chocolates with a small teddy bear and a sweet card.

My dear husband gave me a gorgeous box of Godiva chocolates and a sweet card..the box of chocolates is almost empty. I got him a delicious red velvet cake from a local lady that makes cakes that are out of this world, and they are his favorite.

I love the love that is shared on Valentine's. Not the commercialized who-can-give-the-best-gift kind of Valentine, but the ones that come from the heart and take special time to show you that you mean something to someone.

I know that the most important gift of love I've received is my salvation. There are no gifts that can compare. That Gift is what has set the standard of love in my marriage and family, and friendships. What sets the standard for your love?

Hungry!!!

For the last month or so, we have not been to church. For one reason or another, we haven't been able to go or we've just not gone. I haven't been able to make it the ladies Bible study since October that I have been going to for most of the last 2 years. I've been having my quiet time with God, but not on a regular basis. The result?  For the last few days I have had an unmistakable growling of hunger in my heart for Jesus!!! Last fall, I felt the urge to facilitate (I won't say lead, because I relied greatly on the study materials provided to direct us through the study, and I don't feel mature enough in my knowledge of the Bible to lead anyone through a study) a study at my house, and had a small group of friends that did the Vicky Courtney study "5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter". It was great! The other ladies Bible study that I often attend is one that my sister has been going to for years and had invited me to when we moved here, and for one reason or another, it has been impossible for me to get there the last few months. I'm finally at a point where I should be able to get back to it, and I'm waiting for their new study to begin. At any rate, I have definitely been missing my scheduled, dedicated time to spend with God and in fellowship with other Christians in study.
I can always see a reflection in my life of that absence of study, and I often wonder why it can be so easy to get out of the discipline. I get angry at myself for allowing things that are seemingly, at the time, legitimate reasons to keep me from my time with God. I'll push it to the side with the intention of getting to it later, and then before I know it, it's been a few days and I haven't even thought about it again. I find myself having a life so consumed with stuff and things and do-this and do-that, that my God is not my first priority. And I try to console myself and say it's ok, everyone goes through that...but it's like the thing my Mama used to say to us "I'm not worried about what the other kids are doing, I'm worried about what YOU are doing." I can't let myself measure my relationship with God by what I percieve other people's relationships to be with Him. I'm guilty of that. When I come face to face with God, He's only going to be worried about what I've done. Or not done. I can't starve my heart and mind of His word for me.
Revelations 3:20 "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

Winter Blues

Well..this is my least favorite time of the year. Why??
1) Hunting season is over. What fun is cold weather if you can't go sit in your deer stand and shoot something?
2) Everything in my closet has shrunk 2 sizes. I hate when it does that.
3) I realize I need to be exercising, and it's too cold to do it outside.
4) I can't go hunt.
5) All I want to do is stay inside and cook and eat...See Reason #2, pretty sure these are directly related.
6) We have to move. This is only pertinent to this year (so far), but nonetheless, it is one of my reasons for now. We've spent the whole weekend so far packing boxes. My hands are so dry and not pretty from all that packing paper.
7) I can't go sit in my deerstand and have my quiet time that I love to have and wait for a deer to come out.

OK...guess I've pouted long enough. I honestly am not a pouty pants..just feeling a little melancholy today. I have so many blessings and things to be grateful for, and am one pan of brownies away from feeling better about things.

p.s. Bow Season starts in 8 months. :)

Moving and Selling

It's been a while since I've blogged...so here's the latest...We found out recently that we will be relocating this July to Alabama. While I'm excited about the opportunity that is being provided to my husband for his career, I'm ever so saddened by the thought of leaving my family and this place that is home to me and has become home to my children. We have our house up for sale, and as I sit here writing this, I am waiting for our first potential buyers to come by to look at the house.
I loathe moving.
I hate unpacking.
I detest boxes and paper.
Most of all, I hate the thought of having to do it atleast 3 times within the next 12 months if we sell our house in the next few weeks. We will have to live in an apartment until we leave here, then we'll be in Alabama for only 10 months before we are sent to another assignment. Sigh. I just want to stay on my Mama's back porch for the next 40-60 years. This home is the first home Richard and I have bought, and it is the first place that has been ours to do with what we want. It was hard to put so much into it knowing that we would have to leave it again eventually, but it was still worth the while. My children have established roots here. They will consider Louisiana to be "home", where they "come from". They have had the opportunity to have priceless time with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins that they wouldn't have received had we been assigned anywhere else. I don't want to move. But I will. We will pack up and go and follow my husband and his career for atleast the next 8 years. And then we'll be back. Is it terrible to wish those 8 years to pass quickly? In 8 years, Brian will be 18 and Rachel will be 15. I will be...well, we won't go there. In 8 years, we'll be home again. We will have moved atleast 4 or 5 more times, packed and unpacked, travelled here and there...and then we'll be home again. Okay, I have to quit crying before these people get here to see my house or I might scare them away!!!

november rain....

I love rainy days in November. They make me want to curl up with a big cup of coffee and watch a good movie and snuggle...or turn on music and get in the kitchen and cook...or get on the deerstand and wait for the deer to come out and play. November really is one of my favorite months. The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and planning out all the yummy things we're going to cook and getting to spend extra time with family and really being thankful for all the blessings God has bestowed on us. A time to look past all the petty things we get so caught up with in our everyday lives that take our attention away from the things that really matter. This year, I'm am painfully aware of the fact that this is our last holiday season to be living in Louisiana and to be close to our family. I long for days filled with my Mama and sisters on the back porch at Mama's house. I long to see my kids running in her yard and just being kids. I long for the hunting and the way it brings our family together, and the time it allows me to have with my Daddy. I long for peace and happiness to be abundant among all of my family. I long for pride to be replaced with humbleness. Most of all, I long for each of my loved ones to recognize and be thankful for the things that Christ is doing in their lives, and to become aware if He's not the center of their lives. For things to not be taken for granted. I'm not sure where the next 8-10 years will take us, but I have faith that it will be where God wants us to be and I have peace knowing that we will be back. Until then, I have 8-9 months left here in Louisiana and will be thankful for each and every day that goes by.

Gumbo!!!

2 cups flour




2 cups canola oil



2 large onions, chopped



1 bunch celery, chopped (including leaves)



4 green bell peppers, chopped



2 rotisserie chickens, skinned and deboned



2 lbs link sausage, sliced (spicy or mild, depending on your taste)



2 lbs raw, peeled shrimp, tails off, thawed



1 bottle beer (any kind, I used coors light last night)



3 32oz containers chicken broth ( i like to use low-sodium)



Tony's to taste



Tabasco or Louisiana Hot Sauce to taste



Fresh ground black pepper to taste



Thyme to taste



3 bay leaves











TIP: do all your chopping of veggies before you get started. You won't be able to do it during the cooking part...

In large pot, brown sausage over med/high heat for about 2-3 minutes, stirring around often. Take out and drain on paper towel.
Reduce heat to med/lo and add oil and 1 1/2 cupsflour, whisking together until smooth. Save the other 1/2 cup of flour for now. Continue stirring, constantly, until roux is a nice brown color. I like to do this over a lower heat so that it doesn't burn, and it helps develop a nicer flavor. This can take about 20-30 minutes, depending on the type of pot you are using. I normally use my magnalite pot, and it takes me right at 30 minutes to get it the perfect color. Right when it's getting to the color you want, add in the other 1/2 cup of flour. This helps keep it from becoming too thin. The longer you brown it, the more it breaks down the flour's thickening agent.
Once you stir that in and it's smooth (about 3-4 minutes), add in all your chopped vegetables. Continue stirring for 5-10 minutes, making sure to scrape along the bottom of the pot. Slowly add in the broth, one carton at a time, stirring constantly to keep it smooth. I like to add one at a time and let it rest for a minute or two before adding the next one.
Next, pour in your bottle of beer. This gives a nice flavor, I always add it to mine, but I know alot of people don't, so it is optional.
Add your tony's, hot sauce, thyme, black pepper, and bay leaves at this point. I add the tony's and hot sauce gradually, tasting it every 10-15 minutes during cook time. You can always add more, but you can't take it out. Let this cook over a medium heat for about 30-45 minutes, stirring often and making sure to stir all the way to the bottom of the pot.
Add chicken and sausage to the pot, reduce heat to medium low and let cook for an additional 30-45 minutes, stirring often.
Next you will add your shrimp, and I always do this in the last 10-15 minutes because it doesn't take them long to cook and you don't want them to get tough. Let it cook a little longer until shrimp are pink.

Now, we always serve ours with a scoop of potato salad in the middle of the bowl, and some nice crusty french bread on the side. Others may like it with just rice, or nothing at all! Everyone likes gumbo a different way and you can change it and make it your own. This is my adapted version of how I learned to cook it. Enjoy!!