5 years

5 years ago (yesterday) we got married.

It seems unbelievable to me that it has been 5 years already.  Where does time go?

I always thought that getting married so close to Christmas was risky and there have been years where we haven't been able to celebrate as much as we'd like because of all the activities that comes along with the Holidays.  This year the last few weeks have been crazy and not with fun Holiday Cheer.  Let's just say that 2011 is a welcome change and I'm praying for good news to accompany the new year!  So celebrating our anniversary in the middle of all the unpleasant craziness this year has been a REALLY bright light to look forward to, not that I don't always look forward to it but it was a day where there was no bad news that day and we were able to celebrate in a small way and I spent it with my love, MK.

Life

Sometimes life gets in the ways.

Sometimes life throws you curve balls.

Sometimes life makes you stop and think.

(My sweet Dadad, who passed last Tuesday at the age of 93)

In the last week I've experienced all of those feelings and tons more that I don't even know how to put into words.  Specifically, I feel that the curve balls have been beaning me right in the forehead.  

In all the curve balls, and life getting in the way I have become more and more thankful for my family and the wonderful, sweet friends that God has blessed me with.  I have been overwhelmed by the love and support that Matt and I have felt.

Here are a few pictures of why we feel blessed.

Cousins.  My cousins can make me so happy even at the graveside of my Dadad.

Friends.  My Freiji is the sweetest and makes me happy everyday.

(sorry Meg the roomie pic was NOT acceptable - but you make me happy everyday too).

Family History.  I like that this is where we come from.

- lp

Follow up to New Look & My Dad

A little while ago I wrote a post about MY Dad and mentioned an article that was about him and his work preaching the gospel here in Tampa.  The article was included in the December Edition.  There are two links to the story:

1. A Conversation Version

2. The full article PDF, he is on page 21 of the file.

I'm so proud of my Dad!

Also check it...I got a photo cred!

In other news here is another Target Holiday Commercial for your daily dose of laughter.  These commercials just kill me and make my day better!  Hope it does the same for you!

- proud daughter lp

Target

I don't usually participate in Black Friday shopping.  I find the crowds make me angry more than anything.

 

This Target commercial makes me laugh so hard EVERY time I see it!

Hope it brightens your day!

 

Target 2-Day Sale Commercial

- lp

Artichokes, Gorgonzola, Giada & Fresh Herbs

Do you like artichokes?  And no I don't mean artichokes in spinach artichoke dip at Chili's or artichoke hearts in a salad...I mean like real fresh artichokes.  I'm trying more and more to eat in season and luckily as always Publix promotes in season veggies with good sales.  So according to this website there is a small crop of artichokes in October.  So I researched some artichoke recipes.

The first recipe I have tried is by Giada De Laurentis, it is Baked Artichokes with Gorgonzola and Herbs. I halved the recipe since there are only two of us.  I also assumed it wouldn't  be that filling however it was quite filling and would work best probably as an appetizer.  I can't say that this is the healthiest of recipes however, I did use fat free Gorgonzola which wasn't quite as gooey as full fat Gorgonzola would be but none the less quite tasty.  It was really easy to make and we really enjoyed it.  

Eating it was an adventure in itself.  MK and I debated on which was the best way to eat it.  If you're not familiar with artichokes the "meat" of the artichoke is at the base of the leaf.  If you scrap your teeth along the leaf you get the tasty "meat."  We decided that if you pile the cheese on top of the individual leaf by dipping or whatever method and then scrap the meat and cheese off it is delicious!

Hope you try it and enjoy!

On this adventurous culinary night we also spotted a culprit that LOVES to leave large gifts of a nasty consistency on my car.  Take a look at this Sand Hill Crane (which are my fav birds)just chilling on my car.

We chased it to a Honda Accord next door and saw the aforementioned nasty gift left on the Accord that we thankfully avoided the next morning.

- lp de laurentis 

Blessed

With recent events that have happened in our life I've come to appreciate how blessed we truly are when it comes to friends and family (both local and far away).

I don't think it's too often that MK and I need some help or have some needs where need to call on friends and family but this week we have had some obstacles.  How do I know that we're blessed?  That without asking we have friends who have gone out of their way and called to check on us and family members who have bent over backwards to make sure we had the easiest time as possible.  

There are even those friends who don't know what is really going on with us (which by the way is nothing too crazy, just some minor health issues being taken care of and part of journey, that at some point I'll share) and have just reached out or sent sweet encouraging messages.

It's all appreciated and I am confident it's all because of the love and common bond we share in God.  It's a great feeling.

Also, MK has been a great nurse! I've been a little out of it and basically in bed and he has done all that he can to make me more comfortable.  And he indulged my decorating fetish with a nice purchase.  Although...last night he might have hit his breaking point...case in point...he threatened me with drool.   I'll leave it at that.  He is a good hubby.

In other news, it's not hard to spend time in bed when there are little ones like this to keep you company.

- lp

My Lasagna

Ok...

I don't think anyone's recipes are truly all their own.  In reality if you're making a traditional dish it all basically stems from the same basic ingredients.  The Lasagna I make is based on PW's recipe found here.  But I make a few healthy changes to it, these are the items I use:

Whole Wheat Pasta
Fat Free Ricotta Cheese instead of Cottage Cheese (I have an aversion to cottage cheese due to a certain Alabama camp counselor and some stories....I digress)
Low Fat Cheese
Ground Turkey - organic if possible or no added hormones for sure
Topped off with fresh grated parmesan cheese mixed with grated cheese out of the can

I cooked this for MK's b'day dinner, after all lasagna is his favorite.  Here is what it looks like fresh out of the oven.

Joey would LOVE to sink his teeth into this!  He just loves food, any food, all food!

If you make this hope you enjoy it!

-lp