About Blooming

In my haste to pump out the last post, "April: No Fooling Around," I neglected to include 2 great recipes that I used during Easter week. (1) Macaroni and Cheese My Way- from Food Network- it has become our Mac & Cheese for special occasions. It's healthy for the soul, not so much for the body, but I believe in feeding the soul and body! I use a whole bag of medium-size shells instead of "18-20 large shells." I generally can't find tasso ham, so 1 cup of bacon is a great substitute. A half of an onion is often a much easier sub for shallots as well (although the shallots give it a really nice flavor). (2) Baked French Toast Casserole- also from Food Network. I made this for the first time as a Hoover B&B breakfast. My aunt likened the topping to creme brulee (a nice crunchy caramelized sugar topping). I served it with Morning Star sausage (aka: faux-meat) and skipped the maple syrup. A perfect make-ahead, serve-a-crowd dish! Enjoy!


In current news: We made it to the new apartment! After long days of packing, hauling, unpacking and creatively organizing, we are feeling cozy and rested. Emerson did well through the move; he is decidedly more mature than our previous moves, as we were not required to spend half of our moving time yelling over our shoulders for him to stop eating boxes. He also resigned himself to the safety of his kennel while we moved boxes and furniture and didn't come out until he believed we might leave him at the old apartment. 


I took Emerson back to the old place two days after moving to finish our laundry and grab the remaining miscellany. As soon as we got out of the car and started heading down the familiar path to our door, Emerson's pace increased and his body language implied relief, "Finally, we get to go back home!" I wondered how I, too, might feel once we were back inside. In the last few days before the move Chris & I had talked about what we'd miss about the old apartment and tried to talk ourselves into excitement over the newness, money saved, etc. I opened the old door and let out the breath I'd apparently been holding in. *nothing. I felt nothing. Emerson ran inside and sniffed eagerly, looking for our things. I was hit with, "This is an empty living space. This is not home." And I couldn't wait to get back to the place that signified "home." The place where we display our memories & hobbies, the place where our little family sleeps every night, secure in love and belonging. It became my mission, in that moment, to do whatever I could to conquer the downfalls of a new space and bloom where I'd been planted. We've since worked hard to establish our little home and we have much to look forward to!


I'm further learning to bloom in the way of faith. Specifically, faith that God has not forgotten the desires of our heart and that He is deliberately sending us down uncomfortable paths in order to surprise us with our desires at the perfect time. To recap my job situation, I was laid off from the learning center almost 8 months ago and really, Chris & I were thrilled that I'd be able to spend time homemaking. I was also given the opportunity to cook dinners for a couple who really needed the help. And then, about 8 weeks ago, I got an unexpected call from the learning center and was offered a promotion, possibly only for the summer term but possibly long-term. I accepted the offer and will start on Monday! As the time approaches I've had a lot of doubts and flat-out sadness that working outside the home is still something to consider (sans baby). But, with quiet time and prayer every day, I feel the return of peace that this is a worthwhile leap of faith. I will miss Emerson and being home during Chris' lunch hour but in BIG picture perspective, we all know that this is temporary and God is shaping something beautiful.