Love Is All Around...

I am embracing my day off.  Sometimes its the simplest things like calling work and being told you don't have to come in that day that totally make your day.  I've had my days made lately...

This past weekend the Hubs got to go home with me...weekend made...

Saturday night we sat around and drank wine with my parents while I snuggled with Oliver...Saturday made...

Sunday I stopped over to my "other mother's" (my BFF's mom) house and sat and caught up with her for a few hours, had lunch with my grandpa, and had some much needed bestie time with two of my best friends from college.  I hadn't seen my one friend in a year and my other friend I hadn't seen in 3 YEARS!  Yep...Sunday made...

we go way back and have been through a lot together

life has taken us in different directions, but we have remained close

three years in Korea is an awfully long time

shes like a sister and I've missed her so much

even though its been three years, being together was so natural

how do we spend our evening?  Pizza party and Easy A of course!

Monday the Hubs and I headed back to Wisconsin which made for great road trip conversation.  While on the road I had a meeting with my lead professor and received some great news about school.  Monday made...

Tuesday worked on registering for classes.  And even though it was stressful and there are still a million things I need to do before the semester starts, I am blown away by the blessing of being in school again and working towards my dream.  Later on that night I got to pick up the Hubs at the airport.  Tuesday made...

And today...housecleaning in anticipation of a special guest coming to stay with us Friday, cooking for the Hubs, and just snuggling in with him just as soon as I get the chance.  My day has been made.

God is good.  God is very very good and His timing and plan is always perfect.

In His Love,

Kenz

Its NOVEMBER!!!!!!

November...its my FAVORITE month because my most favorite holiday is on its way.  Thanksgiving!

I don't know why, but I find this month so romantic.  The colors, the love, and the pure happiness of the holiday.  Being all together and focusing on the many many gifts the Lord has given us through the year.  I love Thanksgiving.  Yummy food and just... HAPPINESS.

We are officially counting down to Christmas, and the holiday music has begun to play on the radio stations.  And despite some hardships we're facing, we are home this year and we will be surrounded by the ones we love.  And that alone makes all the stress disappear.  Yes, I am looking forward to this month indeed.

Yesterday I started on some Christmas presents.  This year I am trying to make everything.  There have been tons of great gift ideas posted on pinterest and I looked into some of them.  I always liked the idea of homemade gifts and even though I am not as crafty as I'd like to be, I am excited for how these gifts turn out.

Halloween has passed, but here are some pictures of the pumpkins we carved!

I also tried a recipe for apple brownies recently.  Lets just say for this recipe, I need to follow it and not make substitutions.  So they didn't turn out the best because I tried to substitute apple sauce for butter.  Needless to say, it needs to be made with butter...

Apple Brownies

Personally, I don't care for Martha Stewart at all.  I think she's pretty full of herself and pretty snobbish. A few years back she was a celebrity judge at the Iowa State Fair.  She said that the place was dirty and smelled like cows.  DUH woman!  You're judging livestock, what to you expect!  As a former 4Her and a lover of cows, I was pretty offended by it.  Unfortunately, I do love apples.  You can find the recipe here I want to try them again as a friend made them and said they were pretty amazing.  If you try them out, let me know what you think!

And since this is the month of Thanksgiving, I hope to be experimenting with lots of recipes to find the perfect ones for our family get togethers!  

And who can resist their crock pot?!  With the impending frigid months, I love to get out the ole cooker and just settle in for the winter.  I found a blog, eightbyfive.com, that posted 30 plus fall crock pot recipes !  Maybe you'll find one in here for YOUR family celebrations this Thanksgiving!

Last but not least... a little pic I found to honor my favorite month...

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!!!

In Gods Love,

Kenz, the Midwest Wife

Moving On...

Another one of our close friends has finished medical school and its hard to believe that after so many years of hard work, that will be the Hubs in 4 weeks!  Here are some pictures from the beginning of Medical School...

my first visit to the island, getting the tour of campus

our "adopted" dog Jack.  He adopted us...

view from the swimming beach...

last day on the island after 16 months!  He's on his way HOME for good!

We've definitely lived a lot of places and seen a lot of things.  And now as medical school comes to a close and I start my master's we're faced with another possible move.  I love the little home we've made here, and it will definitely be hard to pack everything up and move again, but sometimes you need to move on.

So as we plan for the next step in our life together, we have to weigh the positives and negatives of moving again.  Is it going to make more sense financially?  Is it going to be better for my schooling?  Is it going to mean having to load everything up and find a storage unit?  So many things to think about.  I will miss our little home, but I am also very excited at the prospect of possibly moving back to the apartment where we first lived together and being so much closer to our families.  Especially since the holidays are upon us.

our first apartment

And besides...how can I resist moving somewhere where this little guy can be with us again...?

our little Oliver

Ugh...packing...moving...unpacking... it feels like a never ending process.  Soon though...we'll be in our forever home and never have to assemble boxes ever again!  :)

No matter where we are though, God is good!

In Gods Love,

Kenz

Great Things...

One would think when its almost Halloween, and you live as far north as Wisconsin, the weather would start to get cold and you'd maybe even see snow clouds in the air.  Not true.  It's been uncommonly warm here as of late.  Yesterday I had all the windows open and was even walking around in a tank top!  I won't complain though.  I had yesterday off and was able to sit and look out over the back yard.  It was such a color palate.  All these golden trees and pines and one, solitary red tree.  It was so beautiful.  And top top off the beauty of it all, the other morning there was a heavy fog.  Delightful.

Today the clouds are rolling in though.  Winter may be here before we know it and its then that I do my best to stay inside as much as possible.  I love to look at it, but I don't particularly like to be out in it.  Good thing I pinned lots of Christmas present projects!

To celebrate our anniversary the Hubs took me to Taliesin!  It was the home of Frank Lloyd Wright and its not too far from here.  It was pretty incredible to see.  But I think what I loved most about the day was the fact that he took me somewhere he knew I'd love.  He supports me in my career so very much.  So thoughtful...

Halloween is on its way!  I do love this time of year.  I like to be creeped out every once in a while and so I am looking forward to staying in and watching scary movies!

Today is my mom's birthday!  She is a beautiful woman.  She is a constant friend and support and I know there isn't a thing I can't tell her.  She's just wonderful and I love her sooo much.

The Hubs had another interview this morning so I spent last night watching chick flicks, rearranging the house a bit, and snuggling up with pillows.  I sure hate when he's gone.  Although, the Christmas spirit has taken ahold of me a bit and its kinda nice that I can turn the living room into Santa's shop.

French Dips for dinner tonight!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!

In Gods Love...

Happy Anniversary!!!

To the Hubs and I that is...I can't hardly believe that a year ago today I married the greatest blessing the Lord has ever put in my life.  My husband is the cheese to my macaroni, the cream to my coffee, the peanut butter to my jelly.  I could go on forever and ever and ever about how much I love him, and what he has done in my heart and in my life but I will spare you the sappy love details.  I know that this heart bursting, tingling, butterflies in my tummy love I have for him will never go away.

I just wanted to share some pictures with you all from our beautiful wedding day...

my daddy

my daddy and my amazing father in law

at our cake table

my wonderful bestie was our photographer...this was her reminder

my other bestie as my personal attendant and my beautiful momma

my baby brother came in for a kisses before I walked down the aisle

my grandpa helping baby brother

two men I love most in this world

The Hubs and I are so blessed that we had loved ones come from all over the country to spend our special day with us.  It very much was a family affair and the most beautiful day because of all their help and their love and support for us.  We are truly fortunate.

In Gods Love 

Icky, Rainy, Day...

Well the Hubs and I have decided to take some time for ourselves this weekend and just chill at home.  We seriously needed it though with the past couple weeks we've had.  New job, adjusting to the new work schedule, catching up on house cleaning, and trying to figure out out...well just stuff.

Perhaps its the weather that is doing it to me, but I'm sad toady.  My heart is a little hurt.  I've been made to feel like a bad friend.  I've always tried to be there for people the best I could be, and there have been times where my relationships with others has been neglected because I try too hard to keep people happy.  I love being there for people and I love that people love me because of my devotion to friendships, but there are times where I feel like sometimes it comes back to bite me.  I'm wanting to hide today.

But, as promised, I have a great recipe to share with you all!  Its homemade chicken noodle soup!

Sometimes you just crave something hearty and delicious and just down right homey.  Every once in a while I just crave a good bowl of chicken noodle soup.  No offense canned soup, but you just don't do it for me...

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Here's What You Need...

Chicken breasts
Chopped carrots
Onion
10.75 oz can of cream of chicken
5 Cups of Chicken Broth
1 can whole kernel corn
1 bag of egg noodles

1) combine THAWED chicken breasts with cream of chicken, broth, onions, and carrots
2) set on low for 5-6 hours
3) add corn and noodles for the last hour
4) ENJOY!!!!!

 This recipe goes a LONG way!  It would be great recipe to freeze and save for later.  The Hubs and I have been making it last for a couple meals now and its perfect for a cold rainy day like today!

And because I love love LOVE my hubby I have to share with you some pictures of what he did for my birthday...

Isn't he just the greatest?!

Have a wonderful weekend!

In Gods Love...

 

 

Just a Wee Update...

Oh goodness, and I said I was going to get better at blogging on a regular basis... riiiiighhhhhhhtttt...

I have a new job!  One that fits me so much better.  I am now working at a local (very local) vet clinic.  It'd day 3 of work for me and I already love it.  I am sure it will have its emotional challenges as I am such an animal lover, but I already feel so much more comfortable and in my element.

The hubs is at that point in his schooling where he is beginning to scout out residency programs.  I have a feeling I won't be seeing too much of him over the next few months :(

Pinterest is as faithful as always... I find recipes daily that I want to try.  Next up to try and post is "Apple Brownies"  As much as I dislike Martha Stewart, this one sounds like a winner to me.

The weather is getting colder here and the leaves are falling off the trees.  We got a little color out of them this year, and last weekend we made a trip to Galena, IL to meet up with the 'rents.  It was a beautiful drive.  If you've never been to Galena, I highly recommend you look it up and visit someday.

Tonight we're having homemade chicken noodle soup.  Perfect for a day like today.

Halloween is on its way!  I'll have lots of fun recipes to share with you, and hopefully some pictures of our costumes we have picked out!

Just an update from the Midwest Wife.  I hope all my friends out there are well!

In God's Love,

Kenz

My Spin On Wordless Wednesday... It's My GOLDEN, Turning 27!

nuff said...

Autumn Is Here...

True to form it takes me a MONTH before I post.  Oh my goodness.  And I said I was going to get better at this...

Well, fall is definitely in the air up here in the north country and with fall comes some of my favorite  activities: day trips look at the beautiful colors, long walks at night with the cool air, bonfires, picking out pumpkins, trying out every pumpkin oriented recipe under the sun, hunting for new crock pot recipes (and thanks to pinterest this will be a lot easier!), football games (believe it or not I actually wanted to go to my homecoming this year) harvest, and APPLE PICKING!!!!!!

My family has a tradition of going out to the local apple orchard and picking a bushel full of apples and picking up a jug or two of cider (and a honey stick to top it off).  Just a couple years ago I took the Hubs along for the first time.  Here are some pictures from his first Hinegardner's experience

And to take the edge off after a cool day?  Why Hot Totties of course!  Super simple...

Hot Totties

1 mug of hot cider

1 shot of brandy (or more ;) )

2 cinnamon sticks

The Hubs and I have also taken to picking out pumpkins.  A couple years ago we went and picked out pumpkins and did our first carving together...

I also LOVE to decorate for fall.  Its my most favorite time of year.  It seems like everything wonderful happens in the fall and its just so beautiful and kind of romantic.  

This year we went and bought a HUGE pumpkin.  I hope to pick up a couple mums too and we might even try handing out halloween candy!  A first for me since my parents never really liked the holiday.  I am looking forward to munching popcorn and snuggling in with the Hubs to watch scary movies.  

What is YOUR favorite thing about fall?  If you like decorating too, check out my "Happy Holiday's" board on pinterest.  I'm the Midwest Wife!

In Gods Love,

Kenz

Indecisive...

I've been so bad at blogging lately.  Seems like there aren't enough hours in the day for all the things you need to get done, much less the fun little things you want to do.

So many uncertainties lately.  The Hubs will be done with medical school at the end of November, but we have no idea where that will lead us.  So many things we need to figure out.  Will we stay here?  Will we move back to Iowa?  Will we even be able to stay in the Midwest or will we have to move back to New York?!  (oh please no!)

I thought we had it all figured out.  I would drop in hours at work in January when I start school and by that time the Hubs will have a job so it wouldn't be that big of a deal.  Indecisive... I hate that word.  Indecisive: characterized by indecision, as persons; irresolute; undecided. Not decisive or conclusive. Lacking definition; vague or indistinct.  Thats what it means, and that is EXACTLY what we are right now.  Well, being a woman I had this figured out long ago, but since I know the future of his career weighs heavily on him, I do my level best to support him in the decisions he makes for our family.  I just wish we had a solid plan so I feel like we could move forward with things a little bit.  I so hate limbo.

Do we stay here?  I don't know...

I find myself growing increasingly sick of my work situation.  Why oh WHY didn't I just stick it out and get my architecture degree the first time around?  But God is good, and He has been so giving in this journey of mine.  So His timing is definitely best.  I can't wait to be done with these jobs that get me no where fast.

Babies seem to be the theme as of late.  My best friend is welcoming her first little one into the world in December, a college friend (who introduced the Hubs and I) is having their first one at the end of January, my sister in law is due at the end of February, and lets not forget our precious new little niece whom we have waited and prayed for for so long...shes here and healthy and cute as a button!  And all my bloggy friends out there who are growing by the day!  Ah babies...

But thats another entry for another time...

Well, since its my day off I should do something constructive around here!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!  I hope to get a new camera before too long and share my fall decorations with ya'll!

In Gods Love,

Kenz

Oh I Do Love Cooking...

Even though my camera is caput...I did manage to salvage some pictures off of it from recent recipes I have made.  Ready lovies?!

And the first...

Walking Taco Casserole

Here's What You Need...

1 lb of ground beef

1 can of enchilada sauce

1 small can of green chiles

1 large white onion

1 block of cream cheese

shredded cheese

2 bags of chili fritos

Start off with a layer of chips

Brown the meat, drain, and add enchilada sauce, chiles, cream cheese and onions

Put a layer on top of the chips

Throw some cheese on top and repeat!  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes

This one was a pretty big hit at work...

Crock Pot Chicken and Tater Tot Casserole

Here's What You Need...

1 32 oz bag of tater tots

bacon bits (lets face it, I used the whole bag of bacon pieces)

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 1/2 C of shredded colby

1 1/2 C of monterrey jack pepper cheese

3/4 C milk

1) spray crock with butter spray

2) throw in a layer of tots

3) throw on the chicken, cheese, and bacon pieces

4) continue layering and add milk on top

5) set on high for 3-4 hours

YUM!

Mock Outback Steakhouse Potato Soup

Here's What You Need...

1 30 oz bag of frozen shredded hash browns

3 14oz cans of chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 C chopped onion

1/4 tsp of ground pepper

1 package of cream cheese (THE REAL THING NOT FAT FREE)

1) throw everything BUT the cream cheese in the crock pot

2) put on "low" for 6-8 hours

3) an hour before serving throw in the cream cheese and let it melt

I added some cheese (lots actually), sour cream, and green onions!  

Fall is right around the corner!!!  And then there is... winter... but at least these delicious goodies will see us through! ;)

I hope you enjoy lovies!

In Gods Love,

Kenz