Sweet & Spicy Peppers

I know full well that Bell Peppers are not in season quite yet, but this recipe is so dang delicious that I just had to share! Also its time for planting peppers in the garden, right? So thats close enough for me start looking for them to be on sale at the grocery store. Jay and I love spicy food, but if you don't then just hold off on the crushed red pepper. BUT if you do like spicy then I would suggest doubling the crushed red pepper in the recipe... you won't be sorry you did :)1 tsp Olive Oil
3/4 Cup Yellow Bell Pepper
3/4 Cup Orange Bell Pepper
Onion Chopped to taste (or onion flakes work well!)
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
3/4 Cup Plum Tomato, about 2 (seeded & chopped
Dash of Salt
1 Tbl Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tbl Fresh Basil (or 1 Tbl Dried Basil)

Heat Oil in medium pan over medium heat. Add peppers, onion, crushed red pepper, and garlic to pan. Cook 15 minutes until peppers are tender. Stir in tomato and salt. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 15 minutes or so. Stir occasionally. Add red wine vinegar and Basil. Allow to cook another 5 - 10 minutes.

We LOVE this recipe, and its veggies which my sweet husband isn't usually tricked into enjoying... But this will rock your taste buds I promise.

OH, and by the way I have made this with green or red bell peppers as well, just use what you have... you'll feel resourceful :)

Beach Bum Bella

Mom and I went to the beach for a week, and it was glorious! We read books, sat on the porch, went on lots of walks, cooked dinner every night, and most importantly, I wore t-shirts and sweatpants the whole time. No make-up or blow-drying of the hair. Every girl needs a few days of complete relaxation, especially with her mama! Before you get too jealous we did paint and clean... and I mean serious moving furniture kind of cleaning it was intense, and fun in "we've accomplished something" kind of way.

It was our Bella girl's first time to the beach, and she loved every minute of it. We would start out for a walk around the block, and she would pull us straight to the beach access. After her first day on the beach it was like a magnetic force drew her to the sand to run, and play, and dig. Now, Bella girl doesn't dig in yard or grandma would her furry little be-bop in the crate for the rest of her stay in G'boro. But, on the beach she dug, and dug, and dug some more. And we let her because its the beach, even us human people dig holes at the beach, and because she was so dang cute covered in sand.

She is a cutie for sure, and I am in love with those floppy ears. She is staying with grandmama this weekend, and I am probably going to require camera phone updates frequently (Lord help me when I have a human baby!)

Here are a few more of beach dog Bella. Happy almost weekend :)

A little life update.

Our life is moving at what feels like rapid speed! We're trying to enjoy every moment of the adventures God is blessing us with. Jay is in Atlanta, at Chick-fil-A corporate, in "operator school" until April 30th. I am very proud of all his hard work to reach this point in our Chick-fil-A journey. I am missing him like crazy but LOVING time at home with mom. God's timing is perfect for sure and its great to have a whole month with mom to take care of Bella girl, go to the beach, and take lots of fun day trips.

One of these little day trips was up to Waynesboro, VA to sign our lease on our townhouse. (Its a 3 bedroom, so we expect visitors!) It was mom's first trip to the new home, and it was fun doing a little exploring together. Of course we had to check out the Chick-fil-A. It isn't much but the footings are in the ground, and the bulldozers are moving dirt!

Oh, and I got a part time job in the Emergency Room at Augusta Medical Center. Its our county's Hospital up in Virginia and its only about 5 minutes from where we will be living. I am definitely looking forward to a short commute. I will be working about 20 hours a week (and plenty of other hours at the Chicken shack!) I'm excited about the fast paced ER and about getting back to blood and broken bones. I am a little anxious after having been away from the hospital setting for 7 months, but I am confident in Gods ability to provide abundant strength and wisdom for those 12 hour shifts again. :)

Easter, The UPS dress, and a Very Yummy Pound Cake!

I love Easter. It means spring, and flowers, and bright colors. But mostly I love celebrating my sweet Savior. His Love for us is seriously indescribable and life altering.

"Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; Sing all you who are upright in heart!" Psalm 32:11

For me Easter is a time to remember why we are able to rejoice all year long. We rejoice because of the cross. And we are glad because of the life that is found in Him. And we sing because he is the author of love. And we are upright in heart because we are allowed to wash our sins away in the blood of a perfect Savior. Thank you Jesus.

And I love celebrating Easter with Family. Especially my dear brother who has a wonderful sense of humor. Yes, Ben informed me as we were walking up the steps in church that if UPS drivers were forced to wear dresses they would in fact wear the exact dress that I currently had on. Then continued the joke with comments like "what has brown done for you" and "I have some packages in my car." All the while lots of nice church people are trying to walk up the stairs and forced to listen sweet Ben's encouraging comments. The poor brown dress is pictured below and you can decide for yourself. I personally would love to be a UPS driver if you were able to dress this cute ;)

Easter also means pound cake with strawberries! Mom and I made a very yummy buttermilk pound cake this Easter. It was simple, light, and a definite must try!
Combine in a Large Mixing Bowl:
1 cup Butter (2 Sticks)
2 cups sugar
4 Eggs
3 Cups Flour
1 Cup Buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 Tbs Vanilla
Bake @ 350 for 1 hour in a greased Fluted Pan
Glaze:
1/4 Cup Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Sugar
Boil for 5 minutes. Poke holes all over top of cake. Pour glaze over cake while still hot. Allow cake to cool completely then remove from pan. Enjoy with LOTS of strawberries! This is how Bella enjoyed her Easter... pulling mom's weeds out of the yard. She has yet to pull grass, so mom is enjoying it as well.

Our New Addition!

Meet our sweet Bella!

She is such a precious addition to our little hawksnest :)

Jay and I have been wanting a dog pretty much since we got married. As you know we have lived like nomads. But now that we have a soon to be permanent address we have added our baby Bella to our family!
Last Saturday we woke up, and Jay said "Lets go to the pound." I jumped up and down like a little girl and we prayed God would give us the right little puppy (and Jay prayed I wouldn't beg him to bring home every puppy at the pound). We looked at all the puppies, and I continued to keep going back to a very cute, very calm, all black puppy in the far corner cage. She was the only one we picked up, and right away she snuggled her little nose into my neck. And my heart melted. And Jay knew it was all over. She is a shepherd, lab, and husky mix. So soft... and so smart. She doesn't beg, or jump, but loves to chew! So far nothing but her chew toys... no shoes with holes yet (keep your fingers crossed). She is a blessing and so fun to have around, but we are very biased :) More pictures and Bella stories to come!