I still wouldn't eat off that floor...

Well, after 3 days of cleaning the house is starting to clean up nicely. My MIL, GIL and SIL did an excellent job on the bathroom and kitchen. My good friend Laken Wisdom let me borrow her Shark Steam Mop which did wonders on my tile floor in the kitchen and entry way. (However, gonna have to clean it a couple more times before I'd say I'd eat of it!) I'm going to take the pad home to wash and do it all again until I feel better LOL.

But, I have to say the house is starting to look great! We just have to figure out what to do about the room that was their teenage son's. It is the nastiest room I have ever seen in my life and is going to take longer to clean than anything else in the entire house! I'm hoping to get finished cleaning by next weekend and then get started on painting and be done! I continue to pray everything else goes smoothly!!!

A house to call our "own"...

We finally have keys to the house! And let me tell you it was an utter wreck when we got there on Saturday. Apparently the last tenants have never cleaned the house in the four years they lived there and figured there was no need to do so if they were leaving anyway. There was trash on the floor in every room not to mention paintballs, beads, and dead bugs everywhere! The carpet looks like they poured oil on it, the tile has never been mopped and I'm pretty sure they groomed their dog in the master bathroom tub the day they left. The teenage boys room has parts to two ceiling fans on the floor with no ceiling fan or light hung and hundreds of staples in every wall. I could go on and on about all of the damage in this house, but I'm tired of complaining.

We worked for a few hours both Saturday and Sunday and made quite a bit of progress. We got out most of the stuff they left behind and cleaned up all of the trash, swept and vacuumed and changed the locks. It looks so much better all ready! I am so excited to keep working on it and get to the finished product that much sooner! It's bad now but it's going to be amazing when I'm done with it! Yay for a new project!!!!

Moving in a new direction!

Well, today we get the keys to our new rent house! I can't wait. So now the cleaning and painting must commence so that soon we can actually move in. I have attempted (although half-heartedly) to start packing some stuff that we can move into the garage for now but this is going to be a long process.

We are so excited about getting to start a new life, just me and Isaac, in a new HOUSE and see what post-school life holds for us. I ask that you please continue to pray that we find jobs and a little security. We continuously thank God for all of the blessings and prayers he has answered for us these last short weeks and know he will continue to take care of us!

Recipe of the Week - Almond-Stuffed Chicken

OK. First the good news, We got the house!!! I am so excited. We should hopefully get the keys and everything sometime next week so we can begin cleaning and painting and getting it ready to move-in! My wonderful MIL and GIL are coming around the 19th and 20th to help clean and paint and decorate. If you've ever seen my MIL's house you know why I asked for her help! She can watch any home decorating show and recreate what they've done and she has an excellent eye for decorating! I cannot wait.

Now to the real reason of this post. I have decided (thanks in big part to Leslie Montandon) to post a recipe every week. I have had a couple of requests for this one so here you go...

Almond-Stuffed Chicken (it is delicious!)
1/3 cup light garlic-and-herb spreadable cheese (this is with the specialty cheeses at United but I have been using the garlic and herb cooking cream by philly and it's even better!!!)
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped, and divided
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11/2 teaspoons butter

1. Combine the spreadable cheese, 3 tablespoons almonds, and 2 tablespoons parsley in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of each breast half to form a pocket. Stuff 1 1/2 tablespoons almond mixture into each pocket; secure each pocket with a toothpick. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; cover and let stand 2 minutes. Top chicken evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon almonds and remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed chicken breast half, about 1 teaspoon almonds, and about 1 teaspoon parsley).
Calories: 288; Fat: 12.7g; Protein: 37.5g; Carb: 3.9g; Fiber: 0.9g; Chol: 111mg; Iron 1.7mg; Sodium: 496mg; Calc: 109mg.

I will admit the recipe sounds intimidating but it's really easy and tastes wonderful! Good luck! Let me know what you think!!!

Learning to Love the Ride!

Well, we finally saw the house last night! It's kind of a wreck and really going to take a lot of cleaning and painting but it will be really cute when its all done!!! (We can use all the help anyone wants to offer!!)

We are still not "for sure" on the house but only because jobs are still up in the air. I am going to call the landlady today to talk about our options as far as leasing are concerned and see how much she is willing to work with us. I hate to do that since she is already waiving the deposit and one month's rent but we really want the house!!

Prayer of thanksgiving I do have a teaching "audition" on Monday. If I "pass" I will get an interview and could possibly become a part time Criminal Justice instructor for Kaplan College. It's not a full time job but at least its a start! So say a quick prayer that I "pass" the "audition" with flying colors!!! This just means this week I have to bust my booty on a presentation for my "class"!

Isaac is seriously contemplating starting Massage Therapy School in June. This would help in several ways and maybe not in several ways so we are still weighing our options and praying fervently that God will show us what He has in store! Just keep saying those prayers please!!!

Faith will carry us through!

Well, some good news instead of complaining.

We. Found. A. House.

A rent house that is. Right in the neighborhood with our best friends! Just a few doors down from Lance and Carli and a few streets over from Brooke, Brian and Brodye!!! Needless to say I am very excited. Let me tell you this awesome story!

Last week, Carli texted me to let me know the house down the street was coming up for rent starting April 15. I was hopeful but knew we didn't need anything until June 1 and I was afraid we wouldn't be able to secure the house. I called the landlady anyway. And boy, am I glad I did!!

She confirmed that the house would be available April 15 but it would take around 2 weeks to get everything cleaned up and painted following the current renters. She then proceeded to tell me that most houses in this neighborhood rent for $1000 a month but "I don't do that." She said we could rent it one of two ways. We could pay $800 and she would fix any problems that arose, or we could pay $700 and she would fix any problems that arise with the heater, a/c, or water heater and we cover anything else. I could not believe my ears!!!! She then told me she normally requires a $400 deposit (which is great) but decided if we would clean the house and paint (however I want) after the current residents move out, she would waive the deposit and May's rent and let us move in rent free until June 1! How amazing is that?!?! Needless to say we are going to look at it tonight (although Carli has already told me it's nice)! I hope its perfect! (Especially when I get done with it!)

The only issue now is making sure we have jobs to pay the rent. Isaac has a promising lead from yesterday and I have two jobs to hold me through the summer. If we can scrimp for a while I think we should be good to go. We are praying fervently about this housing opportunity and taking a leap of faith but we know God will see us through. He always does!!!

Olive Juice!

Each day, more than the last, I am so thankful for my wonderful husband. Each day I fall more and more in love with him and cannot imagine my life without him. Let me share our story.

Isaac and I met in Praise Choir at Lubbock Christian University. I thought he was really cute and kept asking his friend Brian who he was. Finally I asked Isaac out on a TWERP date and he agreed. However, before we even got to the TWERP date he asked me out on a real date. To this day he tells me he just couldn't wait that long to go out with me. We sat at Starbucks for over 4 hours that night and literally had to be asked to leave so they could close up.

However, at this point, I was still a silly freshman who wasn't ready to be in a relationship so I told him I wasn't ready to date. Which really meant I just wasn't ready to date him. Pretty quickly I started dating someone else. I was then in a relationship that was, to put it lightly, an emotional roller coaster that almost killed me. Isaac was always there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to vent to. But somehow I still only thought of him as a friend. And once I got over the bad relationship I was too busy having a crush on my best friend Tyler to think about Isaac.

I then left for the summer to be a counselor at Pine Springs and I was gone for 2 and 1/2 months. During my week off I came home to Lubbock to see my parents and friends. I went to see Isaac every night of that week. And fell in love. I remember sitting on the couch in his living room one night when the power had gone out and just talking to him. That was the night I knew. There was never a moment that I remember talking about being together, I just remember feeling like I knew we were. And we've been together ever since. Almost 6 years (almost 4 of marriage) later I am the happiest and most blessed woman in the world.