Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The Carters
We've had the opportunity to stay with our generous friends, the Carter Family, on trips up to the temple quite a few times since we started dating. The Carters are good friends of Chris' family from their days in NoVA.
Easter in Virginia Beach
Shortly before we left Virginia Beach to return home to Williamsburg we took these pictures...
Not the best angle... but we were the last to leave...
One of the funniest things occurred when we were sitting next to Josh & Caroline & kids at church. Caroline had JJ on her lap and pointed to my belly and asked him what it was. He responded by saying, "My cousin." Chris leaned over from my right, as JJ was pointing at my belly, and said, "Don't touch it, it'll pop." (or something to that effect....) It was so funny! Little JJ's reaction was hilarious!
Not the best angle... but we were the last to leave...
One of the funniest things occurred when we were sitting next to Josh & Caroline & kids at church. Caroline had JJ on her lap and pointed to my belly and asked him what it was. He responded by saying, "My cousin." Chris leaned over from my right, as JJ was pointing at my belly, and said, "Don't touch it, it'll pop." (or something to that effect....) It was so funny! Little JJ's reaction was hilarious!
The Easter Ham
So, I was asked for this recipe by my two sisters-in-law and thought I would post the link to the recipe here so that I could also say what I did differently... the ham turned out great... anyone who reads this should definitely try it! =)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Slow-Cooker-Ham/Detail.aspx
Easy Slow Cooker Ham from Allrecipes.com
Our Variations:
-We used an 8+ lb pork shoulder/smoked picnic. [I'm not really a ham girl, so I don't know too much about what that means, although I did google it. ;)]
-I couldn't find apple cider, so I used apple juice from concentrate, using most, but not all of one can after I made it. This doesn't fill up the crockpot like the recipe calls for, so I added water (it wasn't much) until it left about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of the ham exposed.
-I mixed all the ground spices/seasonings in a bowl and slowly added the water to it so it would more easily mix into the juices in the crockpot
-I used 20 to 25 cloves, and about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the ground cloves
-I didn't use the vanilla: forgot to
-I rubbed about 1 cup of brown sugar all around the ham before putting it in the crockpot and then packed about 1/2 cup on top of the exposed portion, but don't think it's necessary to do extra or pack all over the ham. Perhaps putting half in the juice and half on the exposed portion would suffice...?
-We started cooking the (bone-in) ham at about 10:30 a.m. and it was cut and ready to eat at 5:30 p.m.
Because of the ingredients it kind of makes the kitchen smell like Thanksgiving... or at least pumpkin pie (with a meaty twist ^_^).
One day, I will have my own recipe blog...
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Slow-Cooker-Ham/Detail.aspx
Easy Slow Cooker Ham from Allrecipes.com
Our Variations:
-We used an 8+ lb pork shoulder/smoked picnic. [I'm not really a ham girl, so I don't know too much about what that means, although I did google it. ;)]
-I couldn't find apple cider, so I used apple juice from concentrate, using most, but not all of one can after I made it. This doesn't fill up the crockpot like the recipe calls for, so I added water (it wasn't much) until it left about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of the ham exposed.
-I mixed all the ground spices/seasonings in a bowl and slowly added the water to it so it would more easily mix into the juices in the crockpot
-I used 20 to 25 cloves, and about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the ground cloves
-I didn't use the vanilla: forgot to
-I rubbed about 1 cup of brown sugar all around the ham before putting it in the crockpot and then packed about 1/2 cup on top of the exposed portion, but don't think it's necessary to do extra or pack all over the ham. Perhaps putting half in the juice and half on the exposed portion would suffice...?
-We started cooking the (bone-in) ham at about 10:30 a.m. and it was cut and ready to eat at 5:30 p.m.
Because of the ingredients it kind of makes the kitchen smell like Thanksgiving... or at least pumpkin pie (with a meaty twist ^_^).
One day, I will have my own recipe blog...
Our Friend Melinda
We took off for Easter in VB at about 9:15 a.m. on Sunday and made a visit to Melinda after dropping by my parents' house and getting the ham started (I was responsible for it this year... and it turned out really good, if I do say so myself). For those of you who don't know, Melinda is a good friend of mine whom Chris has become fast friends with as well. Melinda was one of the girls in our stake who I was acquainted with growing up, though I didn't know her very well. I most remember being at girls camp with her and our 4th year at camp when we our level went on the 35 mile hike.
I am giving you a history for a reason... but I'll soon get to the point... I didn't see or hear much about Melinda after I graduated from high school and went to my last year of youth conference (though that year has some interesting memories too...). About 6 months after I moved home from UT in May 2004 I started hearing rumors about her being in a coma or something... but didn't hear much more than that. About 6 months after that I saw Melinda for the first time in about 5 years. Though we weren't really friends growing up (mostly just acquaintances), I think it's quite fair to call us friends now. From the onset of her return to VB I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time visiting with her and becoming more and more amazed by her.
Melinda has a condition called Central Pontine Myelinolysis. It's extremely uncommon and her case is very severe. Her life changed, literally in an instant, and has never been the same since. The most dramatic effect of her CPM is that she is in "locked-in state" which, if you haven't heard of it, means she is literally locked in her body--unable to move or talk. She communicates by blinking out her words through a special code her dad came up with 9 months after she was "afflicted" (if you will).
One of my favorite things about Melinda is that despite her really difficult circumstances (It's been 5 years!!!) she remains optimistic and joyful. She is quite the missionary and seeks opportunities to share the gospel and her testimony with anyone and everyone possible. We had a really good visit with her Easter morning and I just have to mention two things from our visit which I think are significant.
1-How wonderful Chris is! He is great with Melinda and I think she may like him as much as she likes me... only I've known her longer!!! ;) I kept leaving the front room where Melinda was and getting things from her bedroom so Chris asked Melinda questions and even took over for a bit. One thing that I feel Melinda needs is people touching her, holding her hand, rubbing her arm, etc. We all need human touch and I have often thought/felt like it was important to give that to her.... Well! It may be because of Chris' psychology class, but he was talking with Melinda and they started playing a "game" (I can't remember what he called it) where he brought random things in the room to her, held her hand, and guided it so she could feel them. The first was a stuffed cat (I don't think it was a REAL stuffed cat, but it sure felt real...), then a lamp, then a china doll, then her niece's wooden chair. It was honestly the coolest thing. I'd never thought of it, but as tactile a person as I am, if I were in Melinda's position I would certainly miss touching things.
2-How good Chris is at helping me consciously think and consider things. Generally speaking, it takes a while to communicate with Melinda--not because she is slow, but because we are. Chris commented to Melinda about how she is so good and uplifting and always says nice things and she responded with, "I try." I guess there's a part of me that's always felt or thought that she simply doesn't want to waste her time saying anything mean or whatnot... but I think Chris is more right. After we left, he commented on it, and expressed his own thoughts and feelings about her saying nice things. Because of Melinda's situation, she knows the power of words. She has to think and consider what she wants to say because few have the patience to spell out ramblings she could want to communicate. When she spells out a thought she wants it to count. It's simply not worth it to her to say something that is mean or could hurt someone she cares about. It makes you think... why do we seem to feel it's okay to be mean or say mean things? I think part of it is that we simply don't know or truly understand the power of words. Because we have the physical ability to let whatever we think come out of our mouths, I think sometimes we don't think hard enough about what it is that does come out of our mouths.
Melinda's birthday is at the end of February, and for the 3rd year in a row, the VB singles' branch has celebrated her birthday and tried to educate branch members on Melinda's condition. We made it down for the FHE where this was done... there was an awesome turnout and we got a picture with the Lady of Honor.
I am giving you a history for a reason... but I'll soon get to the point... I didn't see or hear much about Melinda after I graduated from high school and went to my last year of youth conference (though that year has some interesting memories too...). About 6 months after I moved home from UT in May 2004 I started hearing rumors about her being in a coma or something... but didn't hear much more than that. About 6 months after that I saw Melinda for the first time in about 5 years. Though we weren't really friends growing up (mostly just acquaintances), I think it's quite fair to call us friends now. From the onset of her return to VB I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time visiting with her and becoming more and more amazed by her.
Melinda has a condition called Central Pontine Myelinolysis. It's extremely uncommon and her case is very severe. Her life changed, literally in an instant, and has never been the same since. The most dramatic effect of her CPM is that she is in "locked-in state" which, if you haven't heard of it, means she is literally locked in her body--unable to move or talk. She communicates by blinking out her words through a special code her dad came up with 9 months after she was "afflicted" (if you will).
One of my favorite things about Melinda is that despite her really difficult circumstances (It's been 5 years!!!) she remains optimistic and joyful. She is quite the missionary and seeks opportunities to share the gospel and her testimony with anyone and everyone possible. We had a really good visit with her Easter morning and I just have to mention two things from our visit which I think are significant.
1-How wonderful Chris is! He is great with Melinda and I think she may like him as much as she likes me... only I've known her longer!!! ;) I kept leaving the front room where Melinda was and getting things from her bedroom so Chris asked Melinda questions and even took over for a bit. One thing that I feel Melinda needs is people touching her, holding her hand, rubbing her arm, etc. We all need human touch and I have often thought/felt like it was important to give that to her.... Well! It may be because of Chris' psychology class, but he was talking with Melinda and they started playing a "game" (I can't remember what he called it) where he brought random things in the room to her, held her hand, and guided it so she could feel them. The first was a stuffed cat (I don't think it was a REAL stuffed cat, but it sure felt real...), then a lamp, then a china doll, then her niece's wooden chair. It was honestly the coolest thing. I'd never thought of it, but as tactile a person as I am, if I were in Melinda's position I would certainly miss touching things.
2-How good Chris is at helping me consciously think and consider things. Generally speaking, it takes a while to communicate with Melinda--not because she is slow, but because we are. Chris commented to Melinda about how she is so good and uplifting and always says nice things and she responded with, "I try." I guess there's a part of me that's always felt or thought that she simply doesn't want to waste her time saying anything mean or whatnot... but I think Chris is more right. After we left, he commented on it, and expressed his own thoughts and feelings about her saying nice things. Because of Melinda's situation, she knows the power of words. She has to think and consider what she wants to say because few have the patience to spell out ramblings she could want to communicate. When she spells out a thought she wants it to count. It's simply not worth it to her to say something that is mean or could hurt someone she cares about. It makes you think... why do we seem to feel it's okay to be mean or say mean things? I think part of it is that we simply don't know or truly understand the power of words. Because we have the physical ability to let whatever we think come out of our mouths, I think sometimes we don't think hard enough about what it is that does come out of our mouths.
Melinda's birthday is at the end of February, and for the 3rd year in a row, the VB singles' branch has celebrated her birthday and tried to educate branch members on Melinda's condition. We made it down for the FHE where this was done... there was an awesome turnout and we got a picture with the Lady of Honor.
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Neighborhood Pets
We see a lot of deer in Williamsburg and there seems to be a small "herd" that lives in our area. We've seen them in our front yard, quite close to the driveway, and tonight we caught them enjoying dinner in the backyard. The pictures aren't the best. When the pictures taken from the inside didn't turn out too great we went to the backyard... you can see 5 of the 6 sets of eyes staring at us. (You should be able to see the pictures if you click on them and open them up individually.)
Where'd It Go??
We made a BIG pot of chili Friday night and are now in the process of eating all the leftovers. Chris made a pan of cornbread to go with it yesterday, and covered the dish of leftover cornbread with a plate. Tonight, when he went to warm up the leftovers, I heard him exclaim, "Where'd it go?!" He then laughed and called me into the kitchen... I took a picture of what I saw... If you look closely at the plate you'll see where the cornbread went.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
26 weeks
So, the idea is that we will show you the biweekly progression of the-ever-growing-belly. Here's week 26.
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