Signs

I wrote a post a couple of months ago about something that has been weighing on my heart, seemingly out of nowhere. I prayed about it pretty fervently for a while, and then life got in the way and it kind of dropped to the wayside of my brain. The last few weeks, it has been popping up again more and more, and I was just praying to God, if this is what you want for me, please show me. Then today I got a sign in the most small of places. It is amazing to me how sometimes God's plan isn't a big and bold sign, but rather, something quiet just to see if I am listening. Someone I respect very much had written a blog post on this issue over five years ago and she was given advice from a friend: start making note of when you get signs and see how they all come together later on. So I'm using this blog to do just that. Yesterday was the day I read that blog post, ending with the author saying "if you are even considering this, DO IT!", and today when I went through a drive-thru for lunch, the side of my cup displayed a message asking for support for this very thing I have been praying about. I'm paying attention, Lord.

June Favies

I haven't done a favorites post in too, too long! Here are some things I was loving in the month of June:

1. The Office

Okay, I've always loved it, but I've been rewatching it on Netflix and it is still. so. funny.

2. Kids Clif Brownie Bars

My mom knows the way to my heart is through chocolate, and I am always annoyed that "adult" breakfast bars are chocolate with something nasty, so she got me these. I don't want your chocolate with orange bars or your dark chocolate anything, just give me some plain ol chocolate. So these kids breakfast bars are right up my alley. Super delicious {take that, nasty grownup bars!} and only 130 calories per bar!

3. Shark Week

Okay y'all, there is nothing better than Shark Week. There's just not. I DVR all the shows so I can stretch it out to be Shark Month in the band life house.

4. Honey Maid Go Bites

These are SO delicious and just a handful fills me up! They're the right balance of sweet and salty, so I don't feel like I'm overindulging.

5. Coloring

The local paper ran an article on the rising popularity of coloring books for adults, and I am right on board this coloring train. I went over to Barnes and Noble the very next day and picked me up three books of my own! I've loved coloring for ages and ages and these are right up my alley!

Undiagnosed

It's been eight months and the doctors still don't know what's wrong with me.

I'm not trying to complain here, but I can't take this much longer. I feel like no one takes me seriously because I'm young and, by all accounts, healthy.

Except I'm not.

I don't have Crohn's, celiac, anemia, diabetes, pancreatitis, IBS, or ulcers. They've checked my gallbladder, pancreas, digestion, blood, stool, urine, and my entire intestinal system. Still nothing.

But I can't leave the house, for fear of being sick somewhere. I can't go to a restaurant because I might get sick before the meal is over. I don't go to the movies because why pay $10 for something I probably won't make it through? I don't see my friends anymore because I just don't have the energy.

Working a normal job exhausts me to the point of laying on the couch every second I am home. This time a year ago, you couldn't keep me home for anything. I always wanted to be out, doing something, going somewhere, seeing someone. Now I spend all day counting down until I can go home and lay down with my heating pad. Even fun events are spent watching the clock, mentally mapping a route to the nearest bathroom, finding the closest receptacle if I have to throw up.

I'm not looking for attention; I would rather feel normal than have attention. I'm not looking for sympathy, because there are plenty of people who have it worse than me. I just want answers. I want to know why I'm 26 and I can't eat or sleep or act like a normal 26 year old. I want my old life back.

There have to be other people like me. Other people who the doctors write off. I wait a month to see a specialist, only to be told they can't find anything and then I wait a month for the next specialist. I just can't be the only one.

Mexican Dorito Casserole

Anyone who knows me knows that I do not enjoy foods that taste like other foods {I'm looking at you, pickle-flavored potato chips and birthday cake-flavored ice cream!}, so when recipes call for out of the box sorts of things, I am hesitant to try them. But I made this one a couple of years ago and husband just loves it! The first time I made it, I posted a pic on Facebook and got overwhelmed with requests for the recipe. I posted it and everyone who tried it loved it too! I broke it out again last week because it is super easy to make and the only thing I had to pick up from the store was a bag of chips, because in the band life house, bags of chips don't stay around for long!

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded cooked chicken or beef {the original recipe calls for chicken but I have always used beef because we are more of beef people than chicken people}

1 cup shredded cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

1 can Rotel tomatoes {I usually leave these out since I am not a fan of tomatoes...}

1/2 packet taco seasoning 

bag of Doritos {my favorite is Nacho Cheese so that is my go-to flavor for this recipe!}

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except Doritos.

In a greased 2 quart baking dish, put a layer of crushed Doritos, then a layer of the chicken/beef mixture. Repeat once more, ending with a layer of chicken/beef mixture. Top with more shredded cheese, cover, and bake for 30-35 minutes.

I love this one because it is unique without being too different and it is so easy to make! Try this one out next time you're in the mood for Mexican but don't want to go with tacos or nachos yet again ;)

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

I had been planning on making my stuffed pasta shells for a couple of weeks, and the day I promised husband I would make them, I realized I was missing a key ingredient and therefore would not be happening. So I started scouring my recipe book to find something I could make with things I already had in my kitchen, and decided that this cheesy chicken and rice casserole would do just nicely!

Ingredients:

1 can cream of chicken soup {side note: I always keep cans of cream of chicken, cream of celery, and cream of mushroom in my pantry... you never know when they will come in handy!}

1 1/3 cups water

3/4 cup uncooked regular white rice 

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese {I didn't happen to have cheddar but I had a cheddar jack mix so I used that and it was still delish!}

Stir soup, water, rice, onion powder, black pepper, and vegetables in 11x8 shallow baking dish.

Top with chicken. Season chicken as desired. Cover.

Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until chicken and rice are done. Top with cheese. Let casserole stand. Stir rice before serving.

Organization & Garage Painting

This has been a crazy month - we had our first anniversary, went on vacation, and I just finished my first summer class of the year! I don't have a lot to update on house-wise but I wanted to show some cute pics of what we've done lately.

The first thing I was excited about was some organization I got done. I found a bunch of bins at Target to organize the minor holiday decor. (I already have red and green totes for Christmas and an orange and black one for Halloween!)

Then I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up a pack of cute patterned paper tags and a pack of white tags that are slightly smaller to paste on the front to create cute labels!

Husband decided he didn't like our garage walls. The back wall is shown below and the side walls were just bare wood - you can slightly see it on the left side of the photo next to the bicycles. The black part is where a garage door to the backyard would go if we decide to put one in.

He decided to make the garage one of his summer projects and I have to admit, it does look a lot better with a coat of paint!

I've also done a lot of cleaning out our clothes that we don't wear and/or don't fit, and I dropped a humongous bag of clothes and shoes off at the thrift store already, with two more bags in the closet to be dropped this week! Husband asked if I'm getting rid of clothes to appease the thrift store gods so I can continue to get good deals ;) hey, it's not a bad idea...

Pinterest Win

I went thrifting this weekend with a good friend and found a ton of stuff! I'll post my second haul video at the end of this post - it's things for husband and my nephew rather than for myself this time around!



Anyways, I bought a few shirts for myself, including this super soft, loose, brand-new shirt from Kohl's. I tried it on and debated about it for a while but ultimately decided to get it. So as I always do, I stuck all the clothes in the washer immediately when I got home. After it all came out of the dryer, I noticed the tag of doom on my brand-new shirt:



dry clean only.


TRAGEDY. I tried the shirt on and it had shrunk in length a good 3-4 inches and was now tight instead of loose. UGH. So I took to Pinterest and found a bunch of pins that recommended soaking the shirt in hair conditioner and lukewarm water, then stretching it out on a towel to the size it should be and letting it air dry.



So I filled the sink, pumped a ton of conditioner in, and let the shirt soak for about 15 minutes. I felt like I wasn't doing much good when I was stretching it out, so after about 10 minutes of stretching, husband was like "I think that's as good as it's going to get..." It dried overnight and it actually worked! It's not the shape it was originally, but it's definitely longer and a little looser. Plus it smells really good. (Thanks, Pantene!) I really don't know what to do with it now, though. Can I wash it again? I definitely won't be drying it in the dryer, and I hope it's washer-safe... This is why I don't buy nice things.