Accidental Soup and Twelve Weeks.

A while ago, I stared at our bare cupboards, stared at the freezing, cloudy day outside, and decided I needed to roll up my sleeves and create something for dinner, as our menu had run out but we needed to eat! It was our normal shopping day, but the cold weather had me pretty much convinced to stay inside.

So, I perused my cabinets and with a little creativity, I made a soup for dinner. When my husband came home and tried it, he raved about it. He loved it. And thus began my homemade Accidental Soup. We've had it quite a bit since then and again partook of it last night.

So, I thought I would share it with you! I love soups on these chilly winter days. The ingredients will probably seem a tad random, because they are--that's what happens when you use what you've got! But, it's surprisingly good (well, according to my husband and I!)! So, here it is!

Katie's Accidental Soup

1 package Owens beef sausage (not ground, but the kind you can slice, as pictured above), sliced

5 chicken tenderloins, cubed

1 regular can diced tomatoes

1 regular can Navy beans

1 regular can chicken broth

1/4-1/2 cup sour cream

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp rosemary

1 tbsp oregano

ground black pepper

Dump the can of chicken broth into crock-pot, set at low (you can add water as the day goes on if you worry that the soup will get dry). Add navy beans and diced tomatoes. On the stovetop, sauté sliced sausage until slices are brown. Add sausage to crock-pot mix. Go back to the stovetop and sauté the cubed chicken in olive oil, adding black pepper as seasoning (I like a lot of black pepper!). Once chicken is sauteed thoroughly and cooked through, add to crock-pot mixture. Sprinkle rosemary and oregano in crock-pot and add sour cream. Stir and let simmer all day and voila! Dinner is served.

(OR you can be like me and rush around throwing it together one hour before your husband gets home and just set the crock-pot to high. Everything is already cooked so that works, too! :))

Now. I serve mine in a sourdough bread bowl that I created out of a sourdough loaf. I didn't have any bread bowls on hand the first time I made the soup, so I carved out hunks of sourdough bread and placed the makeshift "bread bowls" into our normal wooden chili bowls and poured the soup in the bread and let it spill into the bowl. In the above picture, the bread is on the side, simply because my husband and I had already eaten when the picture was taken and the bread bowls were gone! I just spooned some of the soup into the bowl for the picture. I've used real bread bowls, but my husband prefers the makeshift sourdough bowls, so that's what I use! 

Also, let me say that I'm not a huge sausage fan at all, really. I'm the kind of girl who chooses bacon when given the option. But, I'm really starting to love the kind of sausage I used in this soup. I don't even know the technical name for it, but I like it! I don't love ground sausage or sausage patties, but this type of sausage (I buy the beef sausage) is bursting with flavor and it tastes SO GOOD in this soup. 

Enjoy!

(Oh, and here is my twelve week picture! This was so funny. I handed my husband the camera, stepped back ... and then totally forgot how to pose. Put my hand on my belly? Under my belly? What?? And this is the result! It's not even from the side, so I'm sorry. But, it works for now! Hopefully by the end of this pregnancy I'll remember how to actually pose for the token "belly" shots!!)

Have a lovely day.

Pregnancy Updates! Because These Are Fun!

And because Katie's brain is turned to mush and is currently out of ideas that possess any sort of creativity!

!!!!

So. Heregoes. 

--I must start each morning with a fried egg on toast. Before 8am. This has become my greatest defense against mid-morning sickness. The protein, maybe? If I eat anything too sweet, I'm in big trouble. So fried egg and toast it is. But oh my goodness, I'm terrified that I won't like eggs after this pregnancy. Which would be awful, since breakfast food is kind of my favorite. 

--I vacillate between days where I feel good and days where I feel like a large cow. I'm getting better, but some days (reference Kohl's post) are a bit tough.

--With my pregnancy with Cub, I loved being able to wear sundresses. However, I'm finding that I like a winter pregnancy, too, for the layers. Layers are a pregnant girl's best friend.

--My hair is turning into pregnancy hair--thick and shiny--and I love it. One of the perks!

--I had a very distinct "feeling" with Cub that he would be a boy. This time around, I'm 100% not sure. If I had to make a guess, I'd say a girl, but I have no reason to think that. So, we'll see.

--I've been very pleased at my lack of mood swings, for the most part.

--No cravings specifically (unless the fried egg on toast counts), but when I do want something, I think I need to eat it IMMEDIATELY. The other day I went through the drive-thru at Arby's because I could not possibly fathom the idea of eating anything else for lunch. I mean, Arby's is fine and all, but the way I was salivating for it that day was absolutely ridiculous. But, what can I say. The chicken sandwich hit the spot.

--The most frustrating aspect of pregnancy thus far are the days where I just feel funky. Not necessarily throwing up or overly tired, just ... funky. Sick, kind of, I guess. Funky days are awful because I don't feel like doing anything. It's like I just feel badly enough to not want to do anything, but I can't pinpoint why. Weird.

–-I'm just really excited that skinny jeans are in right now. My legs will eventually be the only skinny thing on me, and even those will go in the end. But, I shall embrace it while I can!

--I didn't think I was too tired during the past few weeks, but these past few days I've had a crazy burst of energy. Maybe I WAS tired and now I'm coming out of it!

--I find myself re-evaluating all of our baby things. I'm finding that if I would have known then (when we registered for Cub's stuff) what I know now, I wouldn't have bought half of the stuff--maybe no travel system, no swing, no papasan chair ... I know, sounds crazy. The travel system is great and we used it, but we use our smaller stroller way more, plus, it only fits one baby, and now we need a double-stroller (although we did like the travel system for long walks)! And Cub hated his swing and I didn't want him falling asleep in it anyway, so that was kind of tough ... and the papasan chair just looked nice and went with my furniture, but we rarely used it. :) The bad thing with baby stuff is that you just don't know what you're going to need until you actually have the baby. And, who knows, maybe our next baby will totally dig the papasan chair! :)

--Even though I'm only 12 weeks along, I feel like this baby is very much already a part of our family. I mean, I know he/she is, but not a day goes by where I don't smile when I think, "You're already just jumping right in and going along with us!" on our daily excursions. It's a very wonderful thing.

--Today I held my friend's four month old and he fell asleep on my shoulder. And I got teary-eyed thinking about going through that again with our own baby. Cub doesn't really fall asleep on us anymore!! :)

--I think Cub will make a great big brother. I know he will!

--I'm very giddy and excited. :)

Okay. That's all for now. Have a lovely day!

Hope.

A few months go, I asked our pastor if we would be doing an Advent wreath this year. We've done it in the past, so I was hoping it was on schedule this year, too. He told me he wasn't planning on it, but that we could totally do it if I wanted to. I answered emphatically that YES! I DO! and he then told me I was more than welcome to completely be in charge of it.

He's so sweet, really. :)

But, really, I was elated and he readily jumped on board. We are by no means a liturgical or "high" church, so I knew I had some wiggle room when it came to writing the readings for each week and also when it came to assembling the wreath. And, he ended up creating his sermon series on the weeks of Advent, which was great. Today we did our first reading (which he made ME do on stage, which I don't exactly love, even though I'm on the worship team rotation and I'm on stage frequently ... but I usually have a music stand and a keyboard to hide behind!). So, I got up there, read the reading, said a prayer, and that was that. And it actually went well. Our pastor lit the candle.

In the past, I've shared Advent readings on my blogs every Sunday, so I think I will do that again this year. I hope you don't mind.

But, before I share, I want to mention that I do know that this week is technically the second week in Advent, not the first. We're starting a week late, which, in church tradition, could sound kind of absurd. But, as I mentioned, we are not a liturgical church that follows a specific church calendar and starting this week worked better for us, so that's what we did. But, I have wonderfully close friends who do attend high churches and take liturgy very seriously, so I want to make sure and emphasize that I am not trying to offend anyone or act nonchalant about doing Advent one week behind. I realize that could come across as irreverent to some, and while I don't believe the purpose of Advent is to be legalistic, I do want to acknowledge that I realize that we are starting a week later than the traditional church calendar. We will be lighting the fourth candle and the Christmas candle at the Christmas Eve service, together, to make up for the lost week. Before my reading this morning, I was sure to say, "Today we are celebrating the first Sunday in Advent" rather than "Today IS the first Sunday in Advent", since I knew that was not true. Anyway.

Just a small disclaimer. :) Also, I wrote the reading for this week, but the prayer was taken from a book of prayer. It said what I wanted to say, but better than I could say it, so I used it. I loved it.

Here you go.

The purpose of Advent is to draw our hearts towards the celebration and significance of the miracle of the birth of Christ. We pause to prepare our minds, attitudes, and our hearts in anticipation of Christmas morning—and in anticipation that Christ will come again. In the midst of the chaos surrounding this holiday, we stop, still our bodies, and listen, until all is silent … and in the silence we strain to hear it—the cry of a newborn in the darkness. And in the quiet we absorb the miracle and remember that God pierced the stillness and shook the earth through that tiny cry. As the cry pierced the stillness, God’s light pierced the darkness, and we see that light as we light each candle.

Today we will be lighting the candle of Hope.

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

As the patriarchs of old hoped for the coming of a Savior, we now hope for Christ’s second coming. We believe in the prophecy fulfilled and believe that Christ will come again. We all hope. We all need hope. In a time of war, economic uncertainty, and a future unknown, we rest in the hope that God will again keep His promise in the coming of a Savior, as He did thousands of years ago.

Let us pray.

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when He shall come again in His glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through Him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. In Christ's name, Amen.

Night Owl Meets the Early Bird.

(To set the scene: Pitch black bedroom, time for bed, wife is exhausted, husband is wide awake. This may or may not have taken place in my own bedroom.)

Wife: Good night.

Husband: Good night?? What??

Wife: I'm so tired. It's late. I threw up three times today. Good night.

Husband: Fine. I see how it is. But will you turn on the fan first? You're closer to the switch.

Wife: Ugggghhhhhhh

Husband: Please?

Wife: FINE. 

(Wife stumbles through the darkness, fumbles for the switch, trips back into bed where her head hits the mattress.)

Wife: Where are my pillows?

Husband: What pillows?

Wife: I'M TIRED GIVE ME MY PILLOWS THIS IS NOT FUNNY.

Husband: But what are you talking about? I didn't take your pillows.

Wife: GIVE ME MY PILLOWS.

Husband: You're crazy. I didn't take your pillows.

Wife: If you don't give me my pillows, I'm going to take my toenail and scrape--

Husband: Okay here are your pillows.

Wife: Thank you. Good night.

Husband: You're really tired? Are you sure? Why are you so tired? I'm not tired at all. I don't understand why you're so tired! It just doesn't make sense that you are so tired when I'm not tired and I don't get it!

Wife (pleadingly, pathetically, desperately): Puh-leeeeeeaaaaassseeee be quiet!! I'm SO TIRED!!

Husband: Fine. Good night. Are you sure? Really? Okay. Good night.

Wife: Good night.

(Ten minutes elapse. Wife, now angrily wide awake, waits until she hears her husband breathing steadily. Meaning: HE'S ASLEEP.)

(She creeps over to his side with a pillow in each hand.)

(She then commences to pound his face with said pillows.)

Wife: HEY HONEY WAKE UP DON'T YOU WANT TO TALK WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT'S SO EARLY WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO SLEEP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!!!!!

Husband (groggily): Oh. My. Gosh.

Wife: Exactly. Good night!

Husband: Oh. My. Gosh.

(Wife settles on her side of the bed and peacefully falls asleep. It takes the husband a little longer.)

And who says marriage is boring. Really. :)

I Think It's Safe To Chalk This One Up To Hormones.

So, yesterday I stood in the Kohl's dressing room and cried.

Very classy, I know.

But, nonetheless, I stood there, draped in a maternity sweater I was trying on, feeling very much like Santa Claus. The jolly old elf. Who easily weighs 200 pounds. The sweater's belt tied above my waist that has expanded just a tad and, well, everything is, um, rounder these days. Bigger. So there I stood, big and round at only 12 weeks, feeling extremely self-conscious and very, very sad. 

Dreadfully pathetic, I know. 

And, of course, since I am a girl, my mind immediately drifted to only a few months ago, frolicking on the shores of Aruba, feeling pretty good about life in general and not worrying about how I looked in my shorts or how my sundress fit, a thought process that immediately propelled me into some sort of hormonal hopelessness as I now stood feeling fat in the dressing room of a department store back here in the Midwest, and the tears, oh the tears, they started. I wiped them away, feeling stupid, until I put my hoodie back on. My HOODIE. I stared at the reflection staring back at me: Disheveled hair, pooch, hoodie, smeared mascara ... and oh, the tears flowed. And then I felt even more stupid, because good grief! I'm pregnant! It's okay to get a little bigger, nay, it's expected for me to get a little bigger. Pull it together, woman! (But for the love, maybe find something a tad more flattering than a HOODIE to wear. Every day.)

I straightened my shoulders and headed out of the dressing room and left the store empty-handed.

(The extremely unflattering sweater was, well, extremely unflattering, and also came with an unsightly $82 price tag. Really, Kohl's, really? Maternity? $82? At KOHL'S?? Even my 15% off coupon couldn't justify that. So now I kind of hate Kohl's. I never really liked Kohl's. But now I kind of hate them.)

(But I had a COUPON!)

(I'll get over it tomorrow.)

So, I headed home to shop in my closet and figure out which outfits still work. See, here's the deal. My jeans still zip up. I just have a slight muffin top now. That's right. Not a cute pooch belly, but a muffin top. I've worn my Bella Band a few times, but it doesn't stay up. And maternity jeans aren't even an option yet, as I had earlier hoped (they, too, fall off). So now I'm left feeling fat. That weird, "No I'm not fat, I'm pregnant" feeling. Blah. After trying on several sweaters and tops in my closet, I felt my eyes well up again. That's when I quietly closed my closet door and then scrubbed our master bathroom so clean you could see your reflection in the countertops. My hands hurt. My head hurt. My nose sniffled from the ridiculous crying. But goodness, I needed SOMETHING to feel good about by the end of the day and since my body wasn't going to be it, a clean bathroom would suffice. It's hard to argue with a sparkly toilet.

After the aggressive scrubbing, I went back into my closet and found a top I kind of liked. I put it on and later in the evening I asked my husband if I looked as fat as I felt in my clothes. 

And he answered, "I think you look good in everything." 

And then he gave me the cheesiest, most proud-of-himself grin I have ever seen, and in that moment my heart burst because I knew I had married the best most wonderful lying husband who ever walked the face of the earth.

And I went to bed happy. Maybe it wasn't such a bad day, after all?