pictures from Thanksgiving

When I started cooking, I realized I had a shortage of cooking dishes...so I putthem all out and labeled them to keep everything straight and see what else I needed.

 

After the power going out right as I was supossed to put the turkey (well actually it was a big chicken) in the oven, it was all ready just 30 minutes later than planned.

 

I am sad it wasn't more colorful and pretty on the plate...but it sure was all really good.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

For the first time since I have lived here I am cooking my own Thanksgiving dinner. Its a make-shift Thanksgiving dinner, as I was not prepared ahead of time enough to remember to actually go buy a Turkey in the neighboring country (can't buy them here) before the road was closed due to snow. So I bought the biggest chicken I could find, and I am attempting a big dinner for my friends. I have invited 8 people, but I believe only 5 or 6 will come. It will be interesting.

This morning I woke up early and started baking and getting as much done as I could before the water went off. I made cranberry bread and apple crisp. I had some pie crust dough in my freezer I had made last year, so I attempted to bake it, to use for a chocolate cream pie. Well, its baked, and shrunk a lot, so I am now debating making a make-shift grahm-cracker crust, or just having a chocolate cream pie that has a crust with out sides.

Now off to clean some and then start the rest of the stuff (mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, and corn).

fun in the snow

Yesterday morning I woke up to complete whiteness outside my window...and so my friend and I went for a walk in the park. It was beautiful!

monday

Another Monday morning and thankfully I have no where to go until later this afternoon. I woke up early this morning to take a friend who slept over to work at 7am, and for some strange reason decided to stay up after that. Now its only 10:30 in the morning and I feel I have been very productive. I have done a little pilates, put away dishes, made banana bread, washed those dishes, made breakfast, took a shower, loaded pictures onto my computer, and talked to a friend. Now I guess its time to get to work...and wash my breakfast dishes. I really hate washing dishes. I love to cook, but often the idea of washing the dishes stops me from actually cooking. Lately I have been trying to stay on top of the dishes (which is hard when the water is only on for certain hours a day.)

excellence

Wow, again, as usual, time has passed me by and I have not been motivated to write anything down. Lately I have been pondering living my life with excellence. I think this spurred from reading a friend's website, but I am not quite sure. Needless of where it came from, its been a good topic to ponder, and I believe a much needed one for myself.

Its one thing to do things well, and get all the necessary work done to live and keep my job, but its another thing to do everything with excellence. God expects this of us. I should always want to do everything with excellence, because I am working for God, not man....but its hard. My selfish flesh is still here, and many times its lazy. Many days I just do not feel motivated to do all I should be doing, but just enough to get by. I keep telling myself I need to change, and do better, but I keep failing.

So I try to take things one day at a time...

Now with a little update for you all. Really all is the same. Classes are going very well, and thankfully I even have a lot of girls in my classes this semester. I am excited about this and eager to build on those relationships.

My landlord recently installed central heating in my apartment and I love it! Now that its working all the noise and drilling and men in my apartment working when I just wanted to take a nap were all worth it. Okay I do admit I enjoyed starting my wood stove and sitting there watching the fire, but there is something nice about my whole apartment being warm all the time. Now when I want a fire I can still light my stove and enjoy watching the fire, but not have to worry about starting it every morning to defrost my apartment.

Thats about all for now. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving soon and cooking my own turkey (if I ever find one) and inviting some friends over to share in our American tradition.