Fall decorating!

After garage sale-ing yesterday, I came home in serious nesting mode wanting to clean/decorate/rearrange for the rest of the day!!! I pulled everything out, off and away and got busy. It took quite awhile with Gabe immersed in a football game and Macy playing away, both distracting me, but I got everything almost exactly the way I wanted it!!!
Yes, that's a "Macy Basket" there on the bottom. Where else do you put hats, burp rags, bibs and a vest? :)
I love Fall!!!! It's probably pretty obvious that orange is my favorite color, but I love everything about this season. Even the rain doesn't bother me these days. I like the change in weather, the hunkering down and snuggle days, the smells, the cooking. I love it!

I've been inspired by Judy via Tanya. Judy has a strict 1/3 rule about bookcases. She says 1/3 books, 1/3 decorative, 1/3 empty. I just cannot seem to get this formula right, but yesterday hauled out every single book except my huge scrapbooks that won't fit anywhere else and gave the decorating a whirl. I need to keep working on it, but am really enjoying the final product. Gabe even "helped" with this. I would set up a cubby, step back, look, and he would say what he thought. Pretty fun, I have to say.

PS: There are FOUR garage sale items on this bookcase. Can you spot them? :)

Goodbye Craig...

This weekend was very busy with garage sales all over the place! I thought I'd better stop by Craig and Debbie Hardinger's to check out their sale and say goodbye officially. Craig has been Senior Pastor of Christ Fellowship (aka Nooksack Valley Baptist Church) for 14 years. He came when I was in high school and I have some major life moments that happened with him present.

I remember Craig taking me out for a milkshake when I was in high school and talking about a serious boyfriend I had the time. Craig listened, gave me some very wise counsel and I broke up with him that very day.

I vividly remember a sermon Craig gave about growing in the Lord. The insert had a graph on it that looked like this:

-10

-9

-8

-7

-6

-5

-4

-3

-2

-1

0: Becoming a Christian

1: Getting baptized

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

All the numbers were filled out but all I remember are the zero and 1. I was so convicted during that sermon thinking, "I'm 17 years old and at zero on the Christian walk because I have stage fright and don't want to get in front of everyone and talk!!!" I met with Craig and he baptized me.

Although I left Whatcom County for about 3 years after college, I have sat under Craig's preaching for 11+ years and he has taught me some powerful stuff. He loves to pray, and you know he does it often because of how natural he is when he goes from cracking a joke to praying. He believes in standing out of respect for God's Word when you read from the Bible. He taught our congregation that it isn't weird to lay hands on people and pray for them whether it's for a specific request, for a marriage, for a child, for a trip, for encouragement, for healing or for anything else. He believes God's Word to be true, and lasting, and that it is relevant and holds answers to every problem.

Craig counseled my husband and I before we were married and had the best way of minimizing small problems to highlight the fact that God loves us, we love each other and we are perfect for each other in every way, even our differences. He believes in marriage, and practices what he preaches.

Craig officiated our wedding, which was the best day of my life and did a splendid job making everyone feel comfortable and making that ceremony so memorable.

Craig has adored our Macy Megan and holds her and loves on her every time he sees her. He is such an honest person and until I said goodbye and hugged him and heard him say, "Love you guys" and kiss Macy and ask her if she loves Jesus I don't think it's hit me that he's going.

We love you Craig and appreciate all you've been and done and taught. You will be missed.

Macy's new walker!

Macy is enjoying this walker very much. She likes to climb into it (the best way she knows how) and walks around with it. Such a busy girl... :)

A delicious new, easy, QUICK dinner recipe

A friend gave me several recipes to try months ago and tonight was the night for the first one.

SHRIMP PASTA

So easy and delicious, Gabe rated it a 7 1/2 and I gave it an 8. Pretty good for a healthy and different dinner!!!

What you need to make it:

1 lb penne pasta

1 lb shrimp (I bought the frozen kind at Costco, precooked without tails and used half)

1 lb asparagus

grape tomatoes

pesto

parmesan cheese

What you do to make it:

*Let frozen shrimp de-thaw and drain in a colander in the sink.

*Boil the pasta for 11 minutes with a pinch of salt.

*Wash and cut up the asparagus into 1 inch pieces and with about 4 minutes left for pasta to finish cooking, add to pasta in the same pot.

*Pour pasta and asparagus over the shrimp in the colander.

*Dump whole mixture back into pot to stir and add cherry tomatoes to pot (I left these out and added as many as I liked to my bowl which worked great too).

*Add as much or little pesto as you like to your own bowl and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Enjoy!

Down 1 more pound this week totaling 9 lbs in 4 weeks. 1 more to go to reach my goal then I start a whole new thing next week. Stay tuned!!!!

Funny of the day!

Katie and I were doing errands for a couple hours today (frantic errands, the kind that multiply as you go...) and got behind this guy on the road. I had to take a picture it cracked me up so much!!! I kept saying to Kates, "That guy has got ROADKILL on his head!!!!"
The side profile. What kind of town is Bellingham, anyway? Hahahahahaha. Still makes me laugh!!!!!

A week in the life...