Catch up!

So, it has been way too long since I last blogged.  I always say that I will be better about blogging regularly..... and then I don't.  And then I end up having HUGE posts like this one to catch up all of you.  So this is your forewarning that this post will be a long one, but hopefully a good one!  I promise I'm going to do better.   Let me catch you up on what's been going on:

 Jesse and some guys go on a camping trip every year and they let a girl go for the first time this year...  Maggie!  This was her very first camping trip.  She is getting a doggie pack for her 1st birthday and then hopefully we will be able to take her on more trips once our schedules slow down! She had another doggie buddy there, Martin, John Windham's boxer.  From the stories I heard, these two pups didn't stop the entire weekend.  

Next, Anna and John Clemmer and their dog, Huck, came to Starkville for a visit!  We rarely get visitors in the spring, so this was really special!  The fall is when the English Bed and Breakfast is in high gear due to football season, so it's always great to have friends in town during the spring.  The weather was absolutely beautiful!  Lindsay Sistrunk and Clay Warden joined us with their dog, Eli, and we went to the dog park.  Lindsay and Clay are getting married in June and will live in Starkville and I'm so excited for them to stick around!  Anna, thanks for not stealing my kitties!

(JP stopped by for a visit before he leaves for Japan!  More on this to come in another post.)

Now for some food...  here's a fun little light salad recipe.  We added Craisins to the salad for a sweet and colorful addition.

Followed by a bath.  Maggie is pretty chill during bath time, but LOVES playing with her towel afterwards... and I won't lie.. we love that part of it too!

Final update:  the garden!  I mentioned a little bit ago that Jesse, Alex, and some other guys from the Landscape Architecture department have started a garden at Alex's apartment.  We have tons of things planted and spent all afternoon this past Saturday working in the garden.  It's so awesome to help be a part of growing food, harvesting it, and then making a great meal out of it! 

 I spy Maggie...

 Here's Alex's sweet dog, Zoe!

I will leave you with this awesome meal and kick-a salad that we made from the garden!  Spinach, Feta, and Rosemary Lamb Burgers with Provolone cheese, Roasted Potatoes and Kohl Rabi with Rosemary, Olive Oil, Salt, and Pepper, and finally the salad- lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, broccoli flowers, red bud flowers (all from the garden) and feta cheese, beets, radishes, carrots, walnuts, and balsamic vinegarette.

Yum!

Is it Spring yet?

I decided to blog today, since it has officially been one month since my last post! My apologies, Becca.  Not too much has happened in the English household, other than school, work, and SNOW!  February 9th brought white goodness to Starkvegas and our second snow day on the 10th.  I spent this day making my very first apple pie with the help of my wonderful sister-in-law, Kelley!

Homemade Apple Pie

 Mags interested in where the yummy smells were coming from!  I don't think a dog's nose ever stops sniffing.  ever. 

Snow Day = Success!

Crazy this was only a few weeks ago.  Welcome to winter in the south. The snowy skies have been replaced with sunshine and campus is swarming with students in shorts, t-shirts, and chacos. MSU Baseball season started this past weekend and the weather has been GORGEOUS for the Diamond Dawgs!  

This afternoon, Jesse, Alex, and I worked in the garden a bit - planting some seeds for spring.  We are looking forward to peas, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, and kale as of now.  We should be planting more in the weeks to come! Jesse and some of the guys from his grad program worked really hard this fall on the garden, and I'm really looking forward to getting more involved in it this spring and summer.  I'm also excited to plant some flowers around the house!  Hopefully pretty photos and great recipes are to come. :) Thanks for stopping by!

Tiny Kitchen and Kitties

This post is dedicated to my two favorite tiny things in my house that start with "K".  Ok, not really, but I did want to share some pictures with you!  We've been in our house since August and I still haven't really posted any pictures of the place.  Here is our tiny little kitchen.  We almost didn't move into this house because we didn't know if the kitchen was big enough.  Surprisingly, this has become one of our favorite rooms in the house!  Jesse and I both love to cook and share food with friends and family, and this is where all the magic happens.  We LOVE our gas stove and will NEVER go back to electric unless we just have to.  We also love our little indoor herb garden that hangs in the window.  It was a stretch to find a "home" for everything (only one drawer and limited cabinet space), but with Jesse's handyman skills and my organizational skills, it works.  

This picture is a little dark, but wanted you to see the cool way Jesse hung our indoor herb garden.  We have a larger one outside, but wanted to bring some herbs inside for the winter.  We love cooking with fresh herbs.  

Due to lack of cabinet space, we have our plates "restaurant style" as I call it, on open shelving. 

Now, for the other thing in the house that starts with a "K"... our kitties!  I figured I would give them one last post before the lady of the house returns.  Kelley and I are headed to the Chattanooga area on Friday to get Mags! I am so excited to have her home from obedience training.  But until then, Roobidoo and Jack:

Daily Schedule:

sleep

eat

chase each other

sleep

patrol the house

sleep

and sleep some more

Most of the pictures I have of the cats are of them sleeping, since that is mostly what they do all day!  One of my favorite things about them is that they usually sleep in a ball together.  I'm still not sure if I would call myself a cat person, but they are growing on me.  Except for breaking our full length mirror, filling up the litter box, waking us up occasionally at night, and walking all over us while on the couch, they are pretty cool cats (ha) and are generally self-sufficient.  We can't wait to see how they are once a 8 month fun-loving lab enters their domain!

Enjoy and Goodnight!

Snowy Anniversary!

Today Jesse and I have been married for 2 years!  We received a special treat this year of a snowy anniversary, which led to campus being closed!  It's so nice to have the day off work.  It looks like a wintery wonderland outside.  We played like little kids in the snow last night, but today its more icy than powdery, so not as much fun to play in.  Here are some pictures from campus last night and our little house all covered in snow!

This is where it all went down 2 years ago!

Happy Snow Day!

So this is the New Year

 

We are one week into 2011. Crazy, huh? Did you set any new years resolutions?  I sort of did.... to glorify God, to be a good wife, to be intentional in relationships, to work hard, to keep my house clean, to cook simple, local, and fresh (as possible), and of course to look and feel good. You know, just general things that I always want to be and do. My newest obsession of the year so far is the blog, www.simplemom.net.   Even though this blog is ideally for stay at home moms, there is still some great information for any woman who manages a home...and dont we all??? One post in particular that I enjoyed is this one:  http://simplemom.net/new-years-resolutions-2011/

If you get a second, I recommend printing the PDF that goes along with her new years resolutions post.  I'm (slowly) working through it, but I think it is great to sit down, reflect, and really answer questions honestly.  The point of this little worksheet that she provides to to set goals for yourself this year, not really resolutions. It goes through topics of personal growth, physical health, marriage and family life, goals for your children, money matters, and relationships outside the home. 

There's just something refreshing about the new year to me.  Right after Thanksgiving, I get so excited about decorating my house for Christmas and all of the craziness that goes along with the holidays, but there is something about packing it all up, cleaning your house, and getting started on a new year.  What are you looking for to get out of 2011?