Christmas Break - or was it?

Looking for Lights

Christmas Celebrations


Christmas is a busy time for a couple whose parents live 30 minutes from each other. Christmas eve, we wrapped gifts, packed, and gave our neighbors homemade "gifts-in-a-jar" of soup and hot chocolate mixes. Then we loaded the car with Titus and our share of Christmas and headed to Dad and Mom Smith’s.

We had a nice evening with Dad, Mom, Jeremy, a very pregnant Sheila, and Niquelina. There was a holiday spread of smoked turkey and ham featuring fresh cucumbers and onions in vinegar (my favorite!). We played a half-hearted game of Lord-of-the-Rings Risk, but the evening was full of lots of joking and teasing and laughter. About 10:30, everyone decided to go ahead and open presents so that Jeremy and Sheila could return home and be closer to the hospital in case she should go into labor. An hour later, we each sat in a pile of opened presents while little Niqui went a little nuts with the awe of all her new prizes. Among much needed spatulas and stocking caps and other useful and whimsical items, our big gifts were a lovely china tea set with delicate baby blue flowers (for me) and a leather computer chair that swivels and rocks and goes up and down (for James [and me]). Then Jeremy, Sheila, and Niqui went home, and everybody else crashed, including Titus.

The next morning, we enjoyed the comfort foods of cream-of-wheat and toast with butter at a quiet breakfast with James' dad and mom. Then we drove to Wasilla where a second Christmas was underway. Dad, Mom, Brady, Aspen, Isaac, and Adam were opening their stockings. Not only were they stuffed with goodies, but my childhood stocking was replaced by a lovely new stocking made by Mom and decorated in pastel satin and Victorian lace! Among many other wonderful gifts, I got two beautiful colanders (just what I wanted!), and James opened a humongous tool set with more parts and pieces in different sizes than I'd ever guess to exist! In the evening, Aspen's family joined us for a relaxed dinner and games of Farkle and Bananagrams.

After all of the excitement, Titus looked so droopy and tired from avoiding Rown (the Smith's lab) and playing with Niqui, Isaac and Adam, that we finally relented and took him home. He had never looked so happy to sleep in his little bed under our Christmas tree (normally he vies for the couch). Then it was our turn to exchange gifts. Whew! What a Christmas marathon!

Congratulations, Uncle James!



The day AFTER Christmas, Sheila went to the hospital to have her baby! Mom Smith picked me up on her way into the hospital, and after peeking into the hospital room to say "Hi", we sat in the waiting room with soon-to-be-Big-Sister Niqui, and Dad Smith. When I got the news that it wouldn't be long now, I called James who came from his job across town to join us in the waiting room. At 12:48 PM, a little boy was born weighing 8 lbs. 3 ozs. and measuring 20 inches long. We all trouped into the room to look at happy Mama Sheila and her beautiful baby boy, then we all went to lunch! After lunch, James took me to work with him (since I was without a car), and I sat quietly waiting for James to get off so we could go back to the hospital. We did go back, and I spent blissful minutes holding my sweet new nephew, now formally introduced to us as Drake Roy Smith. Welcome to this world, little Drake!

Planning Parties
Since late summer, I had been promising the teen girls a holiday get together. We'd been brainstorming and finally decided to have Secret Sisters gift exchange leading up to the slumber party. Every week in December, a little gift was secretly exchanged with another girl until finally our final revealing gift at our December 28th party. We met at the Murril’s at six, and most of us didn’t leave until 11 the next morning. We had a lot of fun and a pretty good turn out too! We each brought ingredients for a big pot of chili and enjoyed a lovely evening of games, gabbing, gift exchange, and girl movies. I stayed up 'til three!

On January 5th, it was my turn to host a Stampin' Up party. Tammie Baker has a neat system where stampers elect to belong to a group that commits to spending $10 each month on stamps so that the person taking turns hosting it can count on receiving some little reward for providing a new location and refreshments. Tammie puts a lot of time and effort into selecting seasonal themes and preparing samples to show us. Then each participant can come together to learn about new crafting ideas and get to take home a few projects. I hosted the party at my parent's house and made bruschetta and Aspen's apple dip for the occasion (yum). Tammie decided to do a literary theme (we stamped bookmarks and book name plates), while we each brought our favorite books to share. It was a lot of fun!

Two Years and Counting

December 31st, James and I reached our 2nd Anniversary. We still haven't figured out how quite to celebrate a day that falls on a major holiday in the middle of the holiday season, but yet is personally unique to the two of us. I guess we need a few more years practice! On the 21st of December, we enjoyed a deliciously romantic night on the town in honor of our special milestone. We went to Orso's, an upscale restaurant downtown Anchorage, where they treated us like royalty and gave us dessert on the house in honor of our special day! Then we went to a special showing of “Cyrano” (an adaptation of “Cyrano de Bergerac”) at Cyrano’s, a small private playhouse. It was expertly done and both humorous and heartfelt. We left feeling exactly right. What a perfect anniversary celebration to remember!

On our actual anniversary, we enjoyed a relaxed morning at home and planned a in-car picnic and drive out to enjoy the scenery (we love road trips) for the afternoon. But on the spur-of-the-moment, we booked a reservation for Alyeska Resort in Girdwood for the first night of the New Year. After participating in the traditional, New Year’s party and “praying in the New Year,” at the Niesen’s house (only 2 minutes from our home), we took Titus to my parent’s house and took off for Girdwood. It was exactly what we needed. The gorgeous mountain view from our 7th floor room, the soak in the hot tub, and preferential treatment which provided everything we needed from shower cap to slippers, refreshed us and raised our spirits. I think we’ll have to make sure we always get away to somewhere for our anniversary—if just for one night. As a completely unexpected bonus, my wonderful husband surprised me with a pair of beautiful diamond earrings set in gold. Wow! Thank you, Sweetie!

Losing Loved Ones
With all of this good stuff, I can’t sum up this Christmas break without bringing up the loss of my great aunt Ruth, my Grandfather Kuenning’s brother’s wife, and the loss of my great aunt Helen, my Grandmother Kuenning’s sister, who affectionately called herself “Aunt Helen the Great.” Both losses hit deeply.

Aunt Ruth was my friend and cousin Kara’s grandmother and lived in Colorado near her four adopted sons. She lived an interesting and enthusiastic life, although she was pretty weak toward her last days. She died nearly exactly 10 years after her dear husband, Walter Kuenning, who died on Christmas day, 1997.

Aunt Helen, fully Italian and married into an Italian family, lived with gusto surrounded by loved ones in Chula Vista, California. Her death was a shock as she had only gone to the hospital with stomach pains earlier the evening of January 3rdand died as they were attempting to bring her relief. Her loss feels like a slammed door in the face as I had hopes of asking her questions about my grandmother—especially, why did Grandma change her birthday? It hurts knowing that these questions and others will never be answered. The finality of loosing everyone connected to my Kuenning grandparents is heartbreaking, especially to my dad, who officially became the oldest generation in his family all at once.

Surviving Sicknesses

While Dad Kuenning and Brady were in Colorado for the first funeral (they flew out the day after Christmas), Brady contracted some sort of vicious infection that swelled his throat shut and sent them to the emergency room. The hospital was concerned enough to give him a CAT scan, but sent him home with painkillers and antibiotics. Then my dad caught a 24-hour flu bug which he suffered with on the airplane home and infected the family with on his return. Yikes! Guess how they spent New Years? Mom Kuenning was scheduled for a CAT scan too to see if her blood clots were gone (we’re still waiting on results). I woke up Sunday morning in horrible pain somehow pulling a muscle in my sleep! I’m still working it out with the help of Motrin, heat, cold, and James’ patient massages.

* * *
Whew! So was that a break? You tell me! I think I’m actually ready to get on schedule again, even if it does include getting up at six and hiring a third of my week day out for salary.

The Last Supper

Just so you know, I cooked up our last Saving Dinner freezer meal December 20th. Twenty-two meals for two people turned into almost exactly two months of dinners and left-over lunches. Based on James' school schedule (Mondays not coming home until late) and my work schedule (Fridays being fed a big breakfast and not being hungry for lunch) and our church schedule (Sundays having a fellowship meal together and often meeting Sunday evenings to share finger-food and snacks), even though we didn't eat out (James grabbed an occasional lunch) or order pizza the entire two months, we still ended up using an average of 3 meals a week.

I have to say that although some meals I was excited about pulling out (the "Chicken Scaloppini" with basil and pine nuts or the "Lasagna"), and some I was not quite so excited about cooking up (the fish meals mostly!), every single meal was delicious! Some had recipes for perfect complimentary side dishes. Some, spread well over several days as we added noodles or rice to extend our leftovers further. If I had materials to make a fresh salad, yum. If not, a can of corn or microwave steamed veggies from the freezer would do fine. Over all, it was a very easy way of keeping healthy food on the table.

As far as saving money, it's very hard to tell how much I actually did save not shopping for dinner ingredients every week, because I replaced that spending buying baking, gift, and holiday grocery items. Oh well, I am thankful that I did not need to buy dinner items too! Next time, I will be more focused on the cost effectiveness of the meals, get a better cost estimate, and try to cut out unnecessary expensive ingredients as possible without destroying the integrity of the recipes.

I would be very happy to cook up the whole batch of 22 meals again, but I bought a second month of recipes which I will try next. I can't wait! First, however, I think we are going to try to do something with that ham . . .

Name them one by one . . .

Dear Loved Ones,

Thank you for taking a moment out of your busy holiday season to stop and check up on our lives. If you are new to this blog, feel free to search through the archives and read about our last year and a half. If you would do us the honor of book-marking this blog or adding us as a link on your blog, we will do our best to keep our updates regular so that your visits will not be disappointing.
* * *
Holiday letter writing is a humbling exercise of looking back over a year of bountiful and undeserved blessings to see God's hand working in our lives. Let's see, if we look back over our year we can see God's working in lots of ways . . .

* James came one year closer to graduating with his engineering degree without allowing ornery teachers or sticky subject matter to throw him off track. He is among only twenty some left in his graduating class that started out with over a hundred. Only one more semester to go! Thank you, God, for giving James the strength and endurance to keep it up!

*Andrea worked another year at a job she loves--helping bilingual kids learn English. James gained a summer of experience working as an on site inspector as a neighborhood road system was built from the dirt up. Thank You, God, for an income we can enjoy and learn from while earning it!

*James has just been hired by his boss from TNH who now works for a much smaller and more focused company that designs roads. Not only did this boss pursue James to hire him and give him a nice sign-on bonus and wage, but the company has agreed that James is only hired for the spring semester, and (although they will offer a full time position in May) he is free to look for work opportunities at other companies that might prove more profitable! Wow, God! Thank You for Your generosity and the peace of mind that comes with a secure job.



*We both participated in another year of classes from our church's Valley Bible Institute which provids college-level Bible classes for those interested in going deeper into the Word. Thank You, God, for VBI.

*The Young Adult group which we've been with from its infancy is growing stronger and more independent from us (good thing, because we're beginning to push the "young" category a little bit!). The relationships in it have helped grow and mature faiths and lives. Now the YA group has its own Bible class on Sunday mornings! Thank You, God, for our friends in the YA group. Please help it to grow as You want it to.

*We worked as Bible teachers at camp this year and loved every minute of it. Junior camp kids have the perfect mix of maturity and humility to love Bible class and still get a kick out of fun activities that instill Bible principles. What an awesome experience! Thank You, God, for the opportunity to be Bible teachers at camp this year!

*We had the opportunity to teach girls' and boys' teen classes and get to know our valley teens better over the past year. Many are excited about the possibility of going to AIM. Thank You, God, for the beautiful hearts of our teens. Help us to encourage and teach them to do Your will.



*Titus has grown up into an obedient, behaved, loveable dog. He's a momma's boy who loves to cuddle, sits and waits (well trained by Dad) for food or leash, and has left 99% of his bad habits back in puppy-hood. Thank You, God, for giving us wisdom to be good dog parents and growing Titus up into a dog we can live with!

*Our loved ones have come through some scary sicknesses. Thank You, God, for your mercy and protection, and please bring them to full health.

*We each lost a grandparent this year. Grandma Kuenning succumbed to pancreatic cancer on March 15, and Grandpa Limberious passed away on June 18 (Grandma Kuenning’s birthday). Although we mourn their passing, we praise God for their lives. Thank You, God, for a loving Grandma and Grandpa and memories we will always cherish.



*Having all of our parents and siblings near by has been a huge blessing. Getting to be a part of our dads', moms', brothers', sister-in-law's (and sister-in-law-to-be's!), and neice's life is special. Who knows where our paths will eventually take us? It is nice now to share this part of life together. Thank You, God, for our family!

*Our little apartment has finally become a home. While James has been busy studying, Andrea has been working on her "home making" skills. Thank You, God, for such a perfect retreat to come to at the end of a busy day.

*On December 31, we will celebrate our second wedding anniversary. What a beautiful year God has given us to get to know each other better and grow closer as a couple. Thank You, God, for our marriage and help it to always keep You in the center.

We truly do not deserve all of God’s good gifts to us. We are so thankful for your friendship and the ways that we’ve been able to stay connected over the past year. We pray that your year was as blessed as ours.

May God bless you in this season of family and togetherness and in the coming year. Keep in touch!

Love,
James and Andrea

I'm tired of you too, Pa!

That line comes from an old joke about an elderly couple who are both hard-of-hearing. The old man is telling the old woman how it's amazing that they had been together so long and through so much. Finally the husband says rather tenderly to his wife, "I'm proud of you, Ma." To which she responds testily, "I'm tired of you too, Pa."


Well, actually I'm really, really proud of my husband. He and his teammates designed a steel bridge which James rendered in 3D on the computer and then presented to a couple of boards of Engineering students and professors for review. In competition to four other bridges designed by classmates, his bridge was chosen to represent UAA in a regional competition in Oregon next Spring! For that competition, a 20 foot long model of the bridge will actually have to be built in front of judges. Yay, James! All of that hard work and perseverance really payed off (he got a nice grade on it too!). Here are some amazing pictures of the bridge below:















This last image really demonstrates the amount of detail that went into each componant. I personally watched James design the threads in the giant screws that hold it all together.


All of this means, of course, that what was "just" a semester project for steel class will demand a lot more time, attention, and money than has been invested in it even thus far. Thankfully, though, this is one of those projects that will "give back" in experience, learning, and exposure both of him to the world of engineering and the engineering world to him. I will be sure to keep you apprised of further developments. Next Spring, he will be on a team that will design a concrete canoe . . .

Note: I couldn't resist including the bridge at the top when I saw the Russian lettering on it. I thought it said, "Christ Rose" with an X, but then I realized it probably is aK so it says something like, "Peasant Raised." It's funny how those two very different statements can look so much alike at first glance!

Blogging, Blahs, and Birthdays

I've been having fun following links around the net. It's exciting to stumble upon good, uplifting, positive blogs and websites that make me want to be a better person. Recently, I've found a whole nest of blogging links and connections among godly, home-schooling, home-keeping women who post about parenting, frugal living, cooking, and running a house. I don't know if I'm the wheat-grinding, cloth-diapering, paper-towel-free kind of woman, but it's still neat to find out about different ideas shared among these sweet ladies.

We are in the throes of preparations for finals. For the past 5 days straight, James has spent 12 hours at UAA working with his group to finish designing a steel bridge. The stakes are much higher than for the balsa bridge he built as a Freshman. This time a couple of boards will be reviewing his bridge, and in addition to a grade, he may receive big awards and a trip to Oregon based on their work and designs. While I don't LIKE being at home alone for as long as I'm at work and having a grouchy and exhausted husband come home to crash and burn, I'm still really proud of him and SO happy that this is all almost over. One more week (plus a day or two) and our holiday will truly start.

In the meantime, I've been going to the birthday parties of my niece, Niqui (4) and brothers, Isaac (10) and Adam (6). Half-Peruvian Niquelina (Niqui) had a traditional party complete with streamers, hats, a pinata, a pretty birthday dress, and other 4-year-olds. Isaac, for the first time in his life, had a "friend" birthday party which he celebrated by conscientiously inviting every single student from his Bible class to the bowling alley for two hours of pizza, cake, and bowling. Next Friday, on Adam's REAL birthday, he will get to do something fun with the family.

Isaac and Adam's "family" birthday party we celebrated Sunday with a cowboy theme. We all arrived dressed for the part. Everything started with a dinner of ribs, fried potatoes, baked beans, and biscuits served in wrought iron dishes onto blue speckled plates and washed down with root beer in bottles! The table was lit by lanterns and spread with red-checked and cowboy-themed print and each person had a goodie-bag of trail mix, cow tails (ha!), and gold nugget gum. Afterward, Mom's beautiful cake was presented which showed a field of cows grazing by a stream (complete with bulrushes, ducks, and river rocks) and a couple of cowboys hunkered under a tree by a campfire. The charred wood (pretzels) and eggs in the frying pan added realistic touches. Then, when the candles were lit, a hidden sugar-cube previously doused with peppermint extract was lit as well, making a little fire for the cowboys to really warm up to!

After this, we were told by the sheriff (a.k.a. Dad) that in order to be deputized to go after some cattle rustlers, we had to pass a series of tests. From there, each on of us were timed in how fast we could lasso a (rocking) horse, shoot a series of targets, aim a bow and arrow, corral and herd (with a broom) a group of cows (balloons), kill a scorpion in a boot with a rock (ping-pong ball), return the cows to their pen (under the piano), and ring the triangle--all to the background music of "Rawhide"! We laughed so hard! Everyone was a good sport and got deputized! Sometimes, I think I forget that I'm 26, but as the average age at the party was 34.25 (I just did the math), I guess I wasn't the only one to forget my age.

Thank you, God!

*Steps on Soapbox*

Ahem. As a Christian, it has been a grating annoyance over these past few weeks approaching Thanksgiving to see that the attention toward thanksgiving is divided into four categories: A) Food, B) Football, C) Shopping, and D) Thanking all the nice people in our life for what they do for us. Frankly, I'm fed up. All the woman oriented stuff in my life clamors to tell me the VERY best recipe for stuffing, nerdy articles purport the difference between the yam and the sweet potato, and diets offer me tricks to not over do it on the Big Day (of eating, I presume). My husband is not among them, but I've been hearing football talk all week. I don't even get it enough to talk about it. The newspaper, Internet, and mail announces all the big sales starting early Friday morning (I've been reminded to wear good shoes and shop with a friend so we can split up and comparison shop). And lots of nice meaning people in my community have said thank you, in general, to me and others for working in a school district where God is not allowed. Agh!

I wish America could experience another winter of starvation and disease to humble us a little! Okay not really. But Thanksgiving is no longer a day when we humble ourselves before God in appreciation for His salvation and His bountiful blessings and has become a day focused on us again. Sure, enjoy the bounty of Autumn Harvest foods, thank those around you for their tireless service to make your life easier, take advantage of good sales to stay on your Christmas budget, and go ahead and watch a bunch of guys in weird suits running around a muddy field with a squash-sized ball, but let's stop the crazy cycle, slow waaay dooown, and get on our knees to thank the Father for it all, because we don't deserve life let alone the abundance we all have. Then let's live each day with a spirit of thankfulness and humility for all of God's good gifts.

*Steps off Soapbox*

For all our dear friends and family who are still checking up on us through all the fits and starts of this pitiful blog, thank YOU for being such an important part of our lives. You are a blessing from God in a miriad of different ways. Thank you for your love and encouragement.

May God bless you with a special Thanksgiving surrounded by loved ones and the reminders of God's many different blessings.

We've got snow!

Titus did not enjoy this photo session. He only looked at me because I said, "Treat!"


Don't ask why semi trucks park on our road. They just do.

When it rains, it pours. When it snows, it really snows . . . or something like that. Parent-Teacher conferences made Friday a half-day in-service, so I decided to just go ahead and take the other four hours off. What bliss to not have to wake at six and scurry around in the dark to dress and drive the icy roads to work. What joy to sleep until my eyes woke up with the sun. What fun to spend the day tooling around Anchorage with James checking things off our Christmas list, while listening to music, and catching up on each other’s lives.

Then Saturday we woke to whiteness. Inches and inches of it. The powdery flakes made Titus go wild, bounding through the cold stuff (which easily came to his knees) and snuffing around for tracks to follow. We just stayed home, thankful for the luxury of a warm apartment, hot chocolate with marshmallows, and tea with lemon. We played our new Russian Rails game and watched “To Kill a Mockingbird” with Gregory Peck.


Here is the entrance to our little apartment. The top window is ours.

Sunday, we tried to leave early, but we didn’t quite take into account the snow and ice build up on the little black Saturn. Thankfully, we had the highway to ourselves as few others were crazy enough to brave the deep snow and ice patches covering the roads. Monday we learned that both a snow record and an accident record had been broken for the area on Sunday. Thankfully, we stayed safe.

The white blanket of snow, the stomping of feet at the door, the bundling of warm winter gear, the talk of Thanksgiving plans, the checking off of the Christmas list, and especially my day off were just what was needed. It’s winter now. Beautiful, crisp, clean winter. And barring El Niño or some other catastrophe, it’s here to stay for a long time—long enough to get really, really tired of it. ; )


Titus is a homebody and a snuggle bunny, just like me, I guess.

It's just a season

Right now, the last day of October, I'm feeling the late fall, early winter blues. The month started well, with colorful trees, crisp sweater weather, and lots of celebration for James’ 27th birthday. But since then the trees have been stripped of their pretty colors either by wind or frost. Mid month we had our first few inches of cleansing snow, but the rain that has fallen since then has turned the snow, dirt, and leaves into a dingy muck. It just a season, but it’s not Alaska’s finest. I’m looking forward to a few feet of pure white snow to reflect the little light we have left and brighten everyone’s spirits.

Second quarter has started at the high school and the novelty of starting school again has gone the way of neatly organized notebooks and shiny new school supplies. I haven’t had a day off since Labor Day, and the repetition of waking too early and going to sleep too late has put me into a semi-apathetic zombie state that’s hard to rouse from. There are few parts of the school year so far from distraction and the hope of special breaks and functions as this one. Good thing it’s just a season. Two days off for Thanksgiving will be a nice reprieve.

Good news: tomorrow is November. In my mind, August is pink, September is yellow, November is orange, but October is black. I guess it is sort of an intense month, between summer fun and winter fun, summer break and winter break, summer sun and winter coziness. October is just a month to endure, I suppose. It’s just a season.

It feels sometimes like James has decided to swim across the Atlantic, only it’s an ocean made up of homework assignments, group projects, and studying. Daily he fights the frustration of trying to stay afloat among the battering waves of deadlines, quizzes, unreasonable teachers, and tests. I wish I could come along in a cruise ship, rescue him from the murky waters, and go off together on a well deserved vacation, but I know it would surely cause the wave that would sink him for good. So I just bob along beside him in a little life boat handing out nourishment and encouragement waiting for the day when the shore is finally in sight, and we can celebrate that an enormous feat has been accomplished and is finally behind us. On bad days I refocus by picturing James graduating, walking capped and gowned upon a far off stage. Last night the image was so real, I started to hum “Pomp and Circumstance” unconsciously! *sigh* It’s just a season in our life right now. As much as it seems to be the only landscape of our life—past, present, and future—I know that one day soon, Lord willing, it will all be very different and have nothing to do with UAA, Lord willing!

In order for James to get to the other side of the Atlantic, we are relying on my income alone right now. Thankfully that too is just a season. Even with my four year degree and extensive experience in my field, I can’t make enough to pay the rent and bills and to fill our stomachs and gas tanks. We are dipping into savings to make it month to month, which thanks to Grandma’s last gift to us and PFDs, we can almost afford to do. I don’t mind my deficiencies as a bread winner, and I am slow to remedy them (going back to school, looking for a second job, looking for a better paying job, etc.), because it really isn’t my responsibility. My job is to keep house. Right now the only way I can keep it is to work, so I’m okay with that, but Lord willing, soon James can be the bread winner and I can be the bread baker. The idea of having an income that will allow us to pay off old school debt, support the missions that we care so passionately for, and save for a house, is nearly beyond my imagination.

Here is what wise King Solomon said just after his own soliloquy on seasons:

What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13

Look What I Did!

I made Cheerios #1! No, that was a long time ago. : ) I made my freezer into a mess. Well, maybe. But at risk of turning this blog into some sort of feminine domestic saga, I'd like to show you what happens when someone puts a month of meals in the freezer. After shopping trips to Fred Meyer and Costco, $240, and seven hours of preparation, I closed my freezer at midnight last night on 21 assembled 4-serving meals ready to go. Averaging $2.85 per serving and 20 minutes prep time per meal, I feel pretty good about my accomplishment. The recipes included ingredients like lamb, fish, steak, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a couple of varieties of cheeses.

However, I can't take all the credit. A few months ago, I came across Leanne Ely's website http://www.savingdinner.com/. Her purpose is to create useful, simple, and delicious menus for busy families to use in having family dinner time every day. I registered to receive her free weekly menus (complete with an organized shopping list, recipes, and tips). I liked how Leanne encouraged using whole foods (fresh vegetables, real butter and olive oil, no prepared sauces or mixes) and encouraged cooks to expand their exposure to spices. The organization was excellent, the meals quick and easy to make (yet pushed me out of my rut), and I soon had a well stocked spice cupboard and something for dinner every night! It was a good feeling. Two weeks ago, her website offered a discount on their monthly menu sets. So, I bought two to try.

The 20 meals a month are taking into consideration that families will sometimes like to have a pizza night or have a favorite family recipe now and then. For us, it works great because on Monday James leaves at 7:45 AM and doesn't get home until 10:30 PM and on Sundays we eat with the church and young adult group. Since the meals are for four, we also have the option of eating the leftovers for lunch the next day (as usual) or inviting another couple to come share dinner with us! I could even give guests a list of meals for requests . . . nah!

I was completely beat, though, after seven hours on my feet in the kitchen. My hands (and the whole house) smell of the nine chopped onions and countless diced garlic cloves that went into the meals. Most of the meals made me say, "Yum," when I assembled them but a few made me say, "Well, that will be interesting" or "Hmm." And although I am thankful for the 21 meals ready to go, I don't relish the idea of another two day shopping and cooking marathon. We will see! I think it might have been easier if I had help (poor James was slaving over a take home structural foundations test) or someone else to collaborate with. I guess we'll see in a month if I get ready to cook up my second month of menus!

Since the meals are assembled now, all I will need to do is choose the meal I want to eat the night before I need it, put it in the fridge to thaw over night, cook it, and add a freshly tossed salad, veggies, or noodles (rice is already included) as a side to the meal. The organization is so superb that there is a separate shopping list that gives suggested sides and necessary last minute ingredients (like lime wedges or sour cream). The monthly menus also have the option of separating the meals into meat groups so instead of assembling the meals all at once, I could have fixed the five that called for chicken at one time, etc. This gives the benefit of being able to wait for good sales, use time effectively, and not needing to pay for 12 pork chops, 14 chicken breasts, 16 turkey cutlets, etc. all at once. But me? I never like doing things the easy way!

As a side note, the ham in the freezer is a Christmas gift from the company James worked with before the last one (I doubt the $3 rebate is still good!). We will probably have to find a time to thaw it out and do a month of ham meals. : / I won't mention that one of the Rubbermaid containers holds remainders of cooked turkey from the year before last! I used the cutting board in a vain attempt to make the food bags freeze flat. And now you know that we like Breyer's ice cream!

The tour . . .

Here, let me show you around a little bit.

1. The television you see on the kitchen counter doesn't pick up any channels, it is solely there to play VHS videos that we have no other way to watch. This is probably too rare an occurrence to take up valuable counter space, but that's where it is for the time being.

2. The desk that you see James working at James calls the "Borg Cube" as it folds neatly up into one massive, and slightly imposing, cube. It sure is handy though.

3. My bedside table doubles as storage for my stamps and scrapbook supplies. James' bedside table is a bookshelf.

4. The only piece of furniture that I've ever bought new is the desk/china cupboard beyond the dining room table. The closest thing to furniture that we've bought new are the folding end tables that we picked up at the brand new Bed, Bath, and Beyond in Anchorage.

5. The side table with the plant on it, is actually Titus's kennel. We can tell how excited he is when we get home by how fast the leaves quiver.

6. The bed, white couch, white dresser, bookshelves, corner cupboard, table, and chairs are kind hand-me-downs from my parents. The antique dresser and bookshelf/sideboard are also hand-me-downs from James' parents. The couch and "Borg Cube" are used acquisitions of our marriage, and the little table with the roses on it is from Grandma Kuenning's house. We're hoping that we don't have to move it all any time soon!

7. All through the house are evidences of how much people love us. Wedding gifts sprinkle every photo. Probably most people reading this blog could recognize something given to us (even if it's too small in the picture to really see), from the Tibetan lantern hanging in the bedroom, to the tea pot on the kitchen stove. We've been very blessed.

8. There are four beautiful quilts in the bedroom. The one on the bed is a wedding gift from the Tylers. The one above the bed is a hand made graduation gift from Jeanne Hoyt, the blue one behind the dresser is a personalized gift from Loni Bowlus with our names and wedding date embroidered into it. The one quilt not shown is a lovely, hand stitched and hand quilted labor of love from Grandma King. It is awaiting a home not in danger of dog toenails and daily grime, a pretty quilt rack on the wall or some safe place where it will hold up for many years of "your great-grandmother made this for Daddy and me when we got married." All I have to do is touch it to feel the awe of Grandma's great love for me.

9. The fall flowers on the table were left with a FREE sign in our laundry room (which is in the bottom floor of our building). They were fun to arrange.

10. Since our apartment is on the end of a long building of apartments, it is one of the few that has three windows instead of just two. Because we are on the top floor, we have no one walking above our heads, because we are not in the middle, we only share one bedroom wall and the kitchen walls with our neighbor. We try to be good neighbors to the people beneath us and next to us, but we are thankful that we are not dependant on four other apartments to be good neighbors to us.

Our House . . .

. . . is a very, very, very fine house. God has blessed us with this sweet little apartment, our first home together. It isn't fancy, but I thought I would share how it looks in the fall. Maybe if the weather stays nice, I will take and add some pictures of the outside of the apartment building (remember, this is three flights up!).

Now, for a challenge . . . can you find Titus?