Sentiments by Denise

Livin' for the Weekends

It seems these days I live for the weekends to come and bask in both the activities and relaxation they bring. My work week is so busy, stressful, and I endure such long days - getting up at 4am, being away from home for 11+ hours each day - that when the weekends roll around I'm ready to just enjoy them.

I like to do my morning exercise outdoors on the weekends, because I sleep later and by the time I'm ready, the sun has come up which makes it safer for walking or bike riding. I love to walk outdoors in the brisk air when the sun is just peaking through. What starts out, however, as a quiet peaceful walk quickly turns into a medley of neighborhood dogs barking (in their homes or yards) as I walk by and stir things up! I'm sure my neighbors appreciate that more than I know! Ha!

Last night we attended the first anniversary celebration of our favorite coffee house downtown - Calvin Fletcher Coffee Company and enjoyed seeing lots of friends, listening to some great music, and partaking in the awesome beverages that CFCC offers. I'm a tea drinker rather than a coffee drinker and I love that CFCC has such a great variety. I've been hearing some good things about their Chai tea latte (blended) that I think I'll have to try it the next time I go in. My husband loves their espresso (and buys a pound bag of beans quite often to enjoy at home) and both of our kids frequent CFCC a lot.

I'm excited that the calendar shows this next week is the beginning of the Autumn season. My favorite! I'm already thinking of all the different recipes that I can try with seasonal vegetables and fruits, especially from the squash family! Pumpkins! There is some pureed pumpkin in my freezer that I'm excited to have, as I'm not sure how plentiful that beautiful orange gourd will be this year again.

Recently we had a couple "giant" zucchini that my Mom had given me from her garden - you know the kind... so with Emilee's help, we made a great stuffed zucchini meal loaded with good healthy grains and vegetables.
 

Stephen & Emilee both helped with this meal (I love that our kids enjoy cooking so much and are excited to try new ideas). The extra large zucchini were cut in half lengthwise, seeds were scooped out, and they were placed in a baking dish with a bit of water in the bottom of the dish. 
Emilee stirred up a filling of brown rice, red quinoa, lentils, onions, mini bell peppers and some seasonings. This was added to the "boats" and they were baked for about 45 minutes in a 375deg oven. We added some organic cheese to the tops (except for Emilee's) during the last 3-4 minutes of baking. Oh, and we got a little adventurous and put dried cranberries on a couple of them, too!
 
  
A very tasty and filling entree. Perfect with a salad and some steamed broccoli! These were even better as leftovers the next day when I took a half (of a half!) to work for my lunch!

This morning when I weighed myself I rejoiced at hitting the 50-lb loss mark and realized just how beneficial this new way of eating for me has become. I haven't missed many of the foods I've given up - I just don't crave meat, sugar, fast food, or processed food anymore since I've been concentrating on nourishing my body with such good healthy options. Eating has become a great adventure for me and not something I just "settle" for to fix a craving or get past a hunger pain. I like that I don't have to count anything (points or calories), I don't have to drink a special "diet" drink or depend on a pill to burn off the calories - just turn to the food that is in its most natural state and choose from the many options before me. I love challenging myself to try a new vegetable, fruit, or whole grain every couple weeks and incorporating it into my menus. I've found so many delicious foods this way that I never would have tried otherwise. So far, after eating this way exclusively for the past nine months, I have to say that it has not become boring at all!

This afternoon we attended a first birthday party for the daughter of one of our young married friends. It was so fun to see them again and celebrate this joy with them. We miss the ministry of working with young married couples since we left our former church, but try to stay in touch with as many of them as we can. It's great watching their families grow and seeing them thrive in God's goodness and His plan for their lives. We're starting to make some new friends at our new church as we get more involved there and are thankful for God's timing in leading us to a new place of worship. The teaching is just what I've been yearning for and I look forward each week to the pastor's message of Truth. Just last week we started attending a weekly small group with people mostly our age and I've joined the choir, which I've missed. More things may be happening - I'll keep you posted as they come about.

I think I'll head out right now for an evening walk in the neighborhood before the sun goes down - it just seems like the best way to end a wonderful weekend!

A Great Day!

It seems like such a simple title, but it has been a great day so far. The weather here in central Indiana has been lovely all day - low 70's with glorious sunshine.

Since Ed & I were both off of work today (yes, he's back to work now - at least for the next three weeks!), we decided to meet our kids at a wonderful coffee house downtown this morning -Calvin Fletcher's. It is run by some friends of ours and it's a not-for-profit coffee company.

Ed & I arrived a bit early so we could do a little web-browsing before the kids came. A steady stream of people stopped in all morning while we were there. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the company was great!

Jeff made a wonderful Green Tea Latte (soy, unsweetened) for me and Ed had a regular latte, along with a breakfast sandwich. I ate breakfast before I left the house (because I wanted to enjoy the last blueberry bran muffin with a smidgen of almond butter and a half of grapefruit).
Jeff has been a friend of Stephen and Emilee for many years - he went to the same college. We think he's a great guy!

The prices at Calvin Fletcher's Coffee Company are quite reasonable and we love that they are a not-for-profit business, serving organic and fair trade coffees/teas. The profits earned each month go to different causes in the nearby Fletcher Place community. They "pay it forward" and are definitely blessed for their efforts. We really like supporting businesses like this.

Look at that lovely foam in my mug! I love that they use a real teabag instead of a green tea powder like another coffee place I know (and don't frequent near as much as I use to...broke that addiction, yes I did!).

The kids arrived - Emilee first (Stephen was running late). Em indulged in a blueberry muffin even though she had already eaten breakfast before she left home - those muffins looked too good to pass up, I suppose.

Stephen dove right into a cup of Peruvian Dark Roast, as he needed the nudge for the morning. And he ended up staying at the coffee house all afternoon (after we left) to finish grading some papers - teachers never seem to get a break, do they? He's been on Spring Break all week and has enjoyed a leisurely week with no real agenda. Next week= back to reality!

My most favorite guy catching up on the news, like he does every morning! Doug offered Ed a copy of the New York Times, but Ed retorted that he gets his news on line. Doug said he has a couple come in most mornings and they always do the crossword together in the Times. I thought that was special that he had the paper available for them. It's those little touches that encourage people to keep coming back.

Here I am, in mid-swallow.

Fabulous - to the very last drop!
This tea was my morning snack.

After Ed & I left the coffee house we ventured to Lowe's to browse through the lawn and garden aisles for awhile. It's time to start tilling up my garden and getting ready for planting. We also wanted to pick up another hummingbird feeder.

We spent a little bit of time admiring the deck/patio furniture and discussing what our plans will be for that project this spring/summer. I picked up a catalog that had some great patio ideas. We're still in the dreaming stages, but if Ed continues to work steady, we should be able to dress up our backyard/patio area a bit this year.

I also picked up this great gardening magazine that has some good tips and recipes in it - love those vegetables!

I've already tentatively planned out my garden for this year and Stephen wants to have a little bit of space for some heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and herbs that he wants to grow also. He'll be moving into another apartment within the next month or so, which will give him no option for a garden. We have plenty of room to expand and I love that my kids want to grow their own fresh, organic vegetables. We're all looking forward to the Farmer's Market opening  at the end of this month - counting the days!
Speaking of,
today was the delivery day for our CSA and Ed & I were out in the backyard hanging up bird feeders when they arrived. I carried the green bin into the kitchen, opening it with great expectation of all the wonderful food that I knew it contained, and laying on top of all the organic produce were three beautiful tulips!

What a sweet gesture to include fresh flowers for Easter! Tulips are so pretty - a perfect reminder of Spring. I popped these into a vase of water and we'll enjoy these over the next few days.
Also included in our produce bin was: fresh pineapple, Klamath pearl potatoes, carrots, Pink Lady apples, asparagus, zucchini, romaine lettuce, strawberries, crimini mushrooms and this:

Fresh basil!!  Of, the aroma is amazing! This batch was grown locally and I'm anxious to incorporate it into some recipes this weekend. In fact, several of the items in our bin will probably be included in our Easter celebration meal this weekend.
We will all be worshiping as a family on Sunday - the kids both attend different churches, so I'm glad we'll all be together this Sunday to celebrate our Risen King!