Dear Mrs. Stokes

You may not remember me very well.  We attended DaySpring together for several years and our paths crossed briefly on several occasions.  I heard that you've moved to Mississippi to live in a retirement home near your daughter.  I remember you, quite vividly, and wanted you to know how much you've touched my life.

The first time we met, you caught my eyes across a crowded room and you face lit up with a gorgeous, beaming smile that only grew with each step you took toward me.  I felt so special, to be smiled at that way.  You took my hand in both of yours as we introduced ourselves, and you told me that you were so happy to meet me and to see me at DaySpring.  I knew you meant it, with every fiber of your being and I felt so welcomed and loved.  You made me feel like you were waiting for me, and I knew that DaySpring was the church home I had been waiting for.

Another time you called to me from across the parking lot as we were walking toward the front doors.  You beamed that brilliant, constant smile of yours as you complimented the sky-high heels I had on, and my ability to walk in them.  As I smiled back and waved, I realized I was walking even a little bit taller after your words.

One day, you joined my husband and I as we waited for our Sunday School class to arrive.  You sat down beside me, at the tiny table squeezed between a makeshift partition and the kitchen that served as our 4th-6th grade classroom.  You told us about your late husband and that same contagious smile spilled out the light of your deep love for him. Somehow, being witness to that love for that brief instant, taught me how to love my husband better.  You held my hand and you told us what it was like when you and the small group of founders first started DaySpring, the church that I now love so much.  Hearing your stories made me feel like I could be as strong and brave and courageous and faithful as you had been, and still are.  You patted my back and brushed my hair over my shoulders as you told me how I reminded you of your daughter, and how much you missed her.  I laughed and smiled back through eyes brimming with tears, because your touch and your dearness reminded me of how much I missed my own mother, and grandmother, and great-grandmother.  Your hug felt like a hug from them, one I needed very much.

Every single time you ever saw me, you always went out of your way to speak.  You always told me how very glad you were to see me, and I could see that you meant it, and I felt so loved.  You always smiled that magnificent, ever-present smile.  The one that drew everyone else straight to you.  The one that somehow always injected a kind of peace and joy and courage straight into my heart.  You always touched me, both physically and spiritually.  From the moment of that first smile, I knew we were and always would be fast friends.  So thank you, Katy Stokes, from the bottom of my heart.  I pray that I will learn to share love and light and joy, even half so well as you do.

Birdies and Owls and TWINS, Oh My!

On Saturday morning several friends and I hosted a baby shower for Erin Hughes and her soon-to-arrive TWIN baby girls Kristen Marie and Adelyn Grace.  It was SO MUCH fun!  Sara, a fellow-hostess, is super creative and came up with some brilliant ideas to incorporate Erin's nursery theme into the decor of the party.  Once that got the ball rolling everyone else just ran with it!  All the food was delicious, Mommy and Babies received lots of love and encouragement and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time.  Pictures posted below because they are just really too cute not to be shared.

Sara themed the invitations to match Erin's nursery bedding.

View of the entire table.  Menu included mini frittatas, green apple-turkey sandwiches with cream cheese on cinnamon raisin bread, savory sausage balls, sugar cookies that were practically works of art, bird-shaped biscuits with honey-butter and jam, and fruit parfaits.  

Close up of the sandwiches and frittatas.

Close up of the cookies.

Sara hand-crafted this birdy mobile which made the perfect center piece for our table, plus an extra special gift for the Mommy-to-be.

And I made this garland of patchwork owls.  I spent a week pricking my fingers with needles cursing myself, wondering why I had once again attempted to do crafts?

But I guess it all turned out alright in the end.

*Photos are courtesy of Sara who blogs over at Daffodil.  Because, as per usual, I forgot my camera!

Slow-Cooked Sunday

I love to cook.  The smells, the sounds, creating something delicious, it's all a bit of an outlet for me.  The last couple of months Keith and I have been working hard at healthy eating (we're trying to drop a few pounds), and the resulting meals have been fun and flavorful.  It's been a challenge to both our skill and our creativity to fix food that is tasty and exciting but also low-fat and full of nutrients.  We've found tons of inspiration from a couple of cookbooks (and I just got a new one for my birthday) and really, everything we've attempted so far has ended up being delicious and completely satisfying (as well as good-for-us).

I especially love using our slow cooker on Sundays after church.  Something about tossing everything in and just walking away from it seems perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.  Last night we made a delicious chili.  It's based on one of our South Beach diet cookbooks but because I never exactly follow a recipe and because I wanted to use the slow cooker, I made a few improvements.  Here's my version of Slow Cooked Pork and Poblano Chili:

Slow-Cooked Pork and Poblano Chili

Ingredients:  

3 poblano peppers (remove seeds and roughly chop)

1 bell pepper (remove seeds and roughly chop)

1jalapeno pepper (remove seeds and roughly chop)

3 cloves of garlic

1 medium onion (roughly chopped)

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 can unsalted diced tomatoes (with liquid)

1 can white beans (rinsed and drained)

2 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 pound pork loin (cut in 3/4 inch chunks and sprinkled with salt and pepper)

1 tsp. ground cumin

Directions:

Take all your peppers (be sure to remove seed unless you really like the heat), plus your onion and garlic and pulse it in the food processor until finely chopped (but not pureed).  You may have to do this in batches if you're like us and have a smallish food processor.  

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Dump all your chopped veggies from the food processor into the skillet and cook until well softened (about 10 minutes) stirring occasionally.  

While your veggies are cooking, set your slow cooker on high and dump in the tomatoes, white beans (we used cannellini but any white beans will do just fine), broth and pork.  Sprinkle cumin over the top and stir to combine.

Once your veggies are nice and soft go ahead and dump them into the slow cooker as well.  Mix it all up real good, put the lid back on and let it cook down together for a good 3-4 hours on high.  Stir it every hour or so.  Or if you're like me, stir it every time you think about it, because you can't resist going in and checking on it and ooh-ing and ahh-ing over how great it smells and how good it's going to be.  

Serve it hot in big heaping bowls and toss on a little jack cheese and salsa on top for good measure.  Add a little sour cream and lime juice as well if you've got it (use low-fat cheese and sour cream, of course!).  Then dig in with a giant spoon and enjoy!

Special Delivery

I was out of the office ALL DAY on Tuesday for meetings in Dallas.  I walked in the office today to find a package waiting for me.  In the refrigerator.  Because it came from my mom, in the same box she uses to ship coffee cakes and Nancy, our sweet front office lady, recognized it and assumed it must be a cake.  

It was not a cake.  It was something even better.  Behold!

Mom is selling these beautiful bracelets in her shop for Valentine's Day.  They're handwoven into LONG strands of leather and beads (or in my case pearls) and then you wrap them around your wrist.  Mine wraps five times around.  There are some longer ones that I think may wrap ten times around.  More styles can be viewed (and obsessed over) here.  Or if you want to buy your very own, just email me and I'll get you some more details.  Or you can check out mom's website (but I don't think she has pictures of these bracelets up yet).  They're not cheap, but mom is able to sell them below retail so they're kind of a steal.

And they're BEAUTIFUL.  I just LOVE mine!  Never want to take it off.  Although I guess I have to to shower.  On another note, this arrived today as a Birthday/Valentine's surprise from my Daddy.

It's...an orchid.  In a pot made of bark and fungi.  With some kind of weird leaf-propellers?  It's....pretty, I guess...in a very modern, floral-arrangement-as-art sort of way.  But it's not exactly my taste.  And it's definitely not something my dad would pick out!!  I mean, look at the close-up view of the base.

Interesting, right?  Do you see those mushrooms tucked in around the leaf-propellers? Mushrooms!  Leaf-propellers! 

Although I have to admit, the flowers themselves are gorgeous!  So, do I have to water this thing?  Plant it in the ground?  I have a very black thumb and an even worse track record with all things plant-like.  Does anyone know how to take care of an orchid?  Or feel like adopting one?

Praise and Pleading

It's all happening so fast.  Wednesday night we were crossing fingers and toes, waiting on pins and needles and considering kitty sacrifice.  By Thursday we were dancing with glee and over the weekend more and more things continued to fall into place.  And now we are moments away from making it official...on March 4th Professor Reich will officially become Dr. Reich and I will be Mrs. Dr. Reich.  Cheers!

All dissertation chapters are approved by all essential persons involved and there are just a few more formalities to observe, then the dissertation defense on March 4th.  In other good news, Keith has his first (of many, hopefully) phone interview for a professorial position.  This one's in North Carolina.  Small school, small town, looks promising.  We'll see.

So now begins the pleading.  Please let everything between now and March 4th go smoothly.  No hiccups, no wrinkles, no last minute problems.  Please let there be jobs available.  Please let the interviews go well.  And please let it all end with the right job.  In the right place.  Somewhere we can fall in love with and sink roots into.  Somewhere we will want to make a life.  Please let us have peace and trust that we are being guided and directed for a good purpose.  Please let us take advantage as much as we can of the time we have left with friends we love, and a church we love, and a town we love (to the astonishment of many).  And above all else, always, always, please let us keep growing, and loving, and seeking, and learning, and living in awe and wonder and grace.

Amen.