Cherished.

I think that each of us has a deep need to feel cherished by others.   Often, most people expect a dating relationship to bring that kind of care to their lives, but I think that God is much more creative about the ways He enables others to communicate that kind of affection to us.  As the school year wraps up, I am more and more thankful for all of the little ways that my students tell me they like me.  

Tonight I am going to bed knowing that I am both cherished and blessed.  Gods graciousness is overwhelming!

The end is in sight!

Remember when I could count the number of days I had been a teacher on one hand?  I certainly do, which is why it's amazing for me to sit here and marvel at how close I am to wrapping up this school year.  God is so faithful and I am overwhelmed by how faithfully the Lord has prospered my life this year.  I really do serve a God who is mighty to save!  

As I make my way to this monumental finish line, I'm adjusting to a new normal by trying to balance relationships and responsibilities.  Since I have a deep desire to do all things in my life well, finding this new balance has not been easy task, and has involved a lot of lost sleep.  We all know that a sleep-deprived Erica has disaster written all over it which is why it should surprise no one that I have somehow ended up sick.  I would much rather be part of the action then sitting in my pajamas recuperating, which is evidence to me that God truly has increased my capacity for life and others this year.  

The longer I work, and the more the Lord rebuilds my life, I continue to experience moments of hope, paired with the awareness of desire.  Most recently I realized that at some point in my life I would love to own a house.  Although this desire is not a financial possibility right now, it's been so sweet to be able to trust the Lord with my future and thank Him for what He has already given me.  As I put my hope in the Lord, I can't help but be excited about someday looking adorable in a house like this one, fully equipped with a purple door.    

Muffin Monday in May!

I am sitting on my bedroom floor with a mug of applesauce in hand, thankful that I have time to take a deep breath, put on my slippers, listen to some Christmas music, and prepare for a new week.  

For reasons bigger than my comprehension, April was a pretty tough month for me.  The most tangible reason for this difficulty is that as school wraps up, stress and anxiety levels are high for both students and staff.   I have a lot of kiddos who don't want to leave school for the summer and they've communicated that by being very disruptive and disrespectful.   I feel like I've dealt with more behaviors in the past month than I have all school year!  In every situation I am humbly reminded that love is a choice.   When circumstances arise that make me feel like I can withhold love from certain kids because they haven't earned it or don't deserve it, I am always reminded that we love God because He first loved us and we did nothing to earn that love.   With the awareness that time is marching forward at a rapid speed, I am praying that I will bear the fruit of the Spirit despite the ugliness that sometimes rears its head in my classroom.  Ultimately I fighting for something bigger than respect or order.   I am fighting to be the kind of teacher who represents the One Teacher who cares about these kiddos more than I ever could.  

I am also thankful that we are all given moments to make love a tangible part of our day-to-day lives.   Muffin Monday continues to be one way for me to do that amongst my coworkers.   Plus, the cool, rainy temperatures helped me stay motivated to turn my oven on for these cocoa spice muffins. 

Cocoa Spice Muffins

·         1/4 cup butter melted

·         1/4 cup cocoa

·         3/4 cup applesauce

·         1 1/4 cup flour

·         1 cup sugar

·         3/4 teaspoons baking soda

·         1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

·         1 egg

·         1/2 tsp cinnamon

·         1/4 tsp salt

·         1/2 cup chopped nuts or raisins (optional)

Thoroughly combine melted butter and cocoa.

Add applesauce.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt in mixing bowl

Blend in cocoa mixture and egg until dry ingredients are moistened.

Stir in nuts/raisins

Fill 12 greased or paper lined muffins 2/3 full with batter

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

 Glaze:

·         1 cup powdered sugar

·         1  1/2 tablespoons milk

 Blend until smooth. 

Drizzle over warm or cool muffins

Although the general consensus among those of us in the Midwest is that we would love a warmer spring, I remember when this was our first of many snow storms:

  The weather may not be warm, but the frozen tundra has thawed! 

colorfully refreshing

Spring is in the air, and as the days grow longer, so do our social calendars.  I think the hope of being able to make plans that won't be thwarted by snow cause spring to be the season of potlucks, baby showers, housewarming parties, wedding showers and picnics.  So, to kick of the season right I attended a baby shower today and offered this colorful salad in celebration.   And, yes, it does taste as good as it looks.

Red Cabbage Apple Salad 

1/2 red cabbage chopped 

2 red apples chopped or cubed 

1/2 cup craisins

1 tablespoon cinnamon 

1/2 cup walnuts chopped 

1 cup organic unsweetened apple juice

Mix and marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.  

*Make in a glass dish to avoid staining Tupperware. 

under the sea

Remember that one time that I packed my bags full of sun screen and sun dresses and headed to the Caribbean?  Well, I thought I would finally fill you in on all of my underwater adventures via a picture update:

I love swimming so much that I went snorkeling in both Jamaica and Haiti.  It was incredible to spend so much time in such clear blue water, although I may or may not have gotten pretty sunburned on my back.  

 

One of my favorite things about snorkeling is seeing rays of sunshine cut through the water highlighting the coral on the ocean floor.  

In Haiti we took a boat ride about 30 minutes from our cruise ship but the ship was so big that we could still see it from our snorkel sight!  (that's my friend April pictures above) 

I think with a little more practice April and I could rely on snorkeling as our backup careers (you know, just in case nursing and teaching don't work out for us) 

In summary: the food was amazing, the water was great but the best part of this trip was being able to live life with a good friend instead of having to update her about the life I am living.  For me, the richness of this shared experience and the depth of our common memories are worth their weight in gold! 

creamy, crunchy cauliflower

I think all of us have pretty quirky things about us that make us unmistakeably individual.   These unique and sometimes strange things often serve as interesting conversation starters with our acquaintances, or memorable stories to share in the company of good friends.   If nothing else, our individuality helps create laughter in situations where we otherwise might not have anything to laugh about.    With that said, there are a couple of things you should know about me:
The most interesting thing I can tell you to date is that I have at least two extra bones in my body that don't otherwise belong there.   On a much less interesting note, I absolutely love soup.   In fact, I love soup so much that I usually spend most of summer bookmarking recipes in anticipation of my fall and winter soup lineup.   This past summer I was so overzealous about my recipe search that I actually found enough recipes to make a new soup every single week all winter long.   At first the task seemed kind of daunting, but then I found my groove and ended up falling in love with my early Saturday morning soup ritual.   I think Saturday soup day will remain one of my favorite things about this past winter.  

The other less interesting thing I have to share is that one of my favorite things about working is packing my lunch everyday.   Seriously.   I take so much enjoyment from the process of planning and preparing my lunches that I usually know exactly what I am having for lunch weeks in advance.   I always pray for my upcoming day as I gather my different lunch items, which has become a critical element in combating my working blues.   I also tend to remember funny things that happened to me at work while I'm unpacking my lunch bag, which helps keep my joy in check and spirits high.   Let me also note that lunch time is the only time of day that I sit in non-child-sized furniture so really my whole body thanks me when it's time for lunch.   

So, when you add my less interesting things together (Saturday soup day + packing lunches), it has the potential to result in something amazing, such as Cheesy White Chili with Cauliflower.   After a very long winter and a whole lot of dirty soup spoons, I can honestly say that this soup has made it unquestioningly into my favorites.    Without further ado, here's the recipe:

Cheesy White Chili with Cauliflower 

1 tbsp vegetable oil 

2 onions, finely chopped 

4 cloves of garlic, minced 

1-2 jalapeno peppers, minced 

1 tbsp cumin seeds 

1 tbsp diced oregano leaves 

1 tbsp chili powder 

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp cracked peppercorns 

1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed

3 cups vegetable stock 

3 cups cauliflower florets, cooked for 4 minutes in salted boiling water and drained 

1 green bell pepper cut into thin strips 

2 cups Monterey Jack cheese

1 can chopped mild green chilies 

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat.   Add onions and cook until softened.   Add garlic, jalapeno pepper, cumin seeds, oregano, chili powder, salt and peppercorns and cook, stirring for 1 minute.   Transfer mixture to slow cooker stoneware.   Add beans and stock and stir to combine.  

2. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours. 

3. Stir in cauliflower, green pepper, cheese, & chilies.  Cover and cook on high for 25 - 30 minutes, until green peppers are softened and cauliflower is heated through.