valentine's day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Last year at this time, we were celebrating Valentine's Day in our little hut in Uganda!

That evening will probably be a memory that stands out in my mind for a long time. Because we were out in the bush of Africa we obviously didn't have any Russell-Stover candies in a heart shaped box, or even any red roses (or as I prefer--Gerber Daisies), but it was one of the best Valentine's celebrations we've ever had.

It was a Sunday which meant that the kitchen staff was off and we were on our own for dinner. We went to the market on Saturday to get everything we needed to prepare dinner! Mike bought some tortilla chips (well tortilla-like chips) from one of the families that was selling them. Keith and LB graciously picked up some meet for us while in Kamapala.

Our menu for the night was TACO SALAD! :)

It was probably one of the best taco salads I have ever made...simply because of all the fresh ingredients!

We obvioulsy didn't have a Hallmark down the street, so we made each others cards (and a big THANK YOU to Granny who sent a package with heart stickers in it for us to use!) and just spent the evening together.

Even though we didn't have all the flowers, candy, and cards that we would have here in the States, it was definitely a romantic evening because we had to be creative to show our love for each other. It wasn't as easy as driving to Target and buying a gift.

This year we are celebrating our last Valentine's Day without children, and Mike has surprised me with a night at Stonewall Jackson Resort! We haven't really been away since our 3 day beach trip in August, so we are truly excited to be getting away from our apartment for a night!

My hope for myself, and my challenge for you, is that we make celebrating Valentine's Day special because of our love for one another and not because it is a holiday that everyone celebrates. Take time to think about how you could make your loved ones feel loved in a unique and creative way today. :)

new camera strap

I've been really wanting a cute strap for my camera, and this morning I found a tutorial on how to make one!

This was my attempt!

I'm very happy with it at the moment, but we'll see how long that lasts!

:)

Can't tell much about it here, but I wanted to give you an idea of what

it looks like on the camera

weekending

Good morning! I hope your weekend is off to a great start!

I know mine is! :)

Yesterday Mike had the day off, so we took a trip to pick up the pottery that we painted a few weeks ago on his day off...and boy did it turn out cute!

Then we took a little side trip to Goodwill! I was actually looking for something to put in my kitchen to hold all of my mixing spoons, spatulas, and such but we didn't find anything like what I wanted. However, we did find a bread maker for only $6.00! It didn't come with a manual, but it did work so we bought it!

I found a manual online this morning, and a loaf of whole wheat bread is baking as I type this! It won't be done for several hours, but I am really hoping it turns out!

I have never made bread in a bread machine before, so this is a first for me! We have been eating the homemade bread I made a week or so ago, and it just tastes so much better than store bought bread! I decided that if we were going to keep that up (eating homemade bread) then I needed to bread maker because it just takes me a long time to do it in my little kitchen (the kneading and stuff)!

So Mike is at work this lovely morning, and I am heading off to a ladies fellowship at church while my bread bakes.

Happy Weekend to you all!

^^look up^^

Did you notice anything different about my blog today?

I created a new header last night! This is a first for me! Typically I just use the template on the blog and type in the info I want in the header, but I found a really great tutorial on how to make a completely free, very personal header! Check out this site!

I'm pretty satisfied with it for now, but since it is my first attempt I might end up changing it frequently until I am completely satisfied :)

ground hog day

According to the legend, if the groundhog sees his shadow on Groundhog Day then he will scamper off back into his little home and winter will continue for 6 more weeks. However, if our little friend the groundhog (whichever one you are a fan of- Staten Island Chuck, Punxsutawney Phil, or French Creek Freddie) does not see his shadow, then spring will arrive sooner.

I'm not sure if I really believe all of that folklore, but I'd like to this year!

According to this news site neither State Island Chuck nor Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow,

which means--SPRING IS ON ITS WAY! Hopefully we won't have to endure another 6 weeks of this rough winter weather.

For those of you getting pummelled by snow right now, I'm sure its hard to believe that spring is coming, but according to the groundhogs, it is!

I simply cannot wait for sunshine and warmer temps! All this gloom and cold is wearing on me!

So, even though the groundhogs aren't in control of the weather, let's just hope that they are right this year!

Bring on SPRING! :)