Well Now That's a Bit too Early!!

This was the view from our front porch this morning.  I thought about not posting it because I thought it would keep people form coming up to visit us, but then I realized that nobody comes to visit us anyway.  We've had an upper level low parked over us since Friday and as a result we had 22" of snow on the ground as of noon on Sunday.  Red Lodge 50 miles to the south has over four feet on the ground!!  Not to worry though, in true Montana fashion the temperatures will be back up in the 60's by Wednesday.  While the snow is welcome (due to the fact that it will drive all the critters to lower elevations where I can then shoot them) it has made for a very long week!  I took over as the Assistant Chief Pilot in charge of UPS operations on Monday which is a fancy way of saying that I'm the guy that has to make everything work.  Unfortunately for me, snow, cold, fog and airplanes don't mix well and I pulled more than one 24 hour day last week making plans and changing them over and over again as airplanes broke or couldn't get to the places they were supposed to be.  I made 47 phone calls on Thursday/Friday trying to get everything coordinated!  Ultimately my efforts weren't in vain and everything did work out, but I'm really starting to wonder what I've gotten myself into!  Well at least I don't have to fly this winter. . . oh wait, I flew 6 legs yesterday in CRAPPY weather and shot 4 ILS approaches to minimums, that's exactly what I was trying to avoid by taking this job.  Oh well at least I'll get some management experience and gray hair out of the deal.  Oh yeah and a company cell phone!!

Recipe 3 2x4

The temperature dropped into the 30's today, it rained most of the afternoon and now it is snowing. The first truly cold night warning us that fall is on it's way out and winter is almost here. When the weather is wet and cold like this Jeff and I crave 2x4 soup, a recipe that I was given years ago by my sister in law Emily. Our favorite things about this recipe are that it is quick to make, tastes really good and is really filling.

2x4 Soup

2 lbs of ground beef
2 cans of Minestrone Soup (usually Progresso)
2 cans of Rotel
2 cans of Ranch Style Beans

Brown your ground beef and then open and dump the rest of your ingredients, allow the soup to heat through and that is all there is to it. I like to add sour cream and cheese (mozzarella is really good on this soup), but it is really good on its own as well. When Jeff and I are the only ones eating it we cut the recipe in half and it still is more than one meal so I would keep that in mind.

Hope you guys are enjoying these recipes :) We might be cooking for some friends this weekend and if we do I will post one of my more elaborate meals.

Hurry up and wait

Yesterday I discovered that an out-patient surgery is a series of "hurry up and wait". We were told to arrive at the hospital at noon for my 1:30 surgery. Upon checking in we sat in the waiting room; once called back to the prep room I was asked to change and then laid in the bed waiting; my iv was done, the initial vitals were taken and then we waited for the surgery department to say they were ready; I was wheeled up to the surgery department where Jeff was shown to the waiting room at which time there was some paperwork unfinished and once again I was waiting... This sounds like everything was delayed while in actuality it went very smoothly. Since Monday when we found out that our baby was gone I have been grieving while also waiting on pins and needles. My options were to allow my body to go through the natural miscarriage process of severe cramping, bleeding and pain or to have a D & C. Since we made the decision to go ahead with the D & C I have been nervously hoping/praying that I would make it to the surgery before that cramping began. As the Anesthesiologist put the mask over my mouth the surgeon was on one side and a nurse on the other, tears began to fall and each of them reached out at the same time to wipe them away... sadness and relief mixed together. I believe that God is still healing us and that this cannot be a quick thing to recover from... but some closure was reached yesterday and the tears are a little fewer and far between. God is good, His hope is constantly the light at the end of our tunnel, the joy amidst our sorrow and the lifeline that we can cling to when things go awry. We believe God as He promises:

"Jer 29:11 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
Jer 29:12 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you."

and we cling to the command to:

"Phl 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Phl 4:5 Let your gentle {spirit} be known to all men. The Lord is near.
Phl 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Phl 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

See You Up There

Monday morning we went to the OB-Gyn full of excitement at the prospect of hearing our little baby's heart beat and possibly getting to see him on ultrasound. After trying unsuccessfully to find the heartbeat with the doppler, the doctor did an ultrasound to locate the baby.  We knew something was wrong when she said, "where's the heartbeat?"  Apparently our little one died a few weeks ago and stopped developing at 9 weeks.  We are very sad but know that God has a plan and that this is for our good.  We just have to wait a little longer to meet our little baby in Heaven.  LeeAnn is having a D&C procedure tomorrow at 1:30 so we would appreciate your prayers for that as well as for us as we get through this.

Recipe 2

Dinner tonight was:

Salmon pan fried in a little bit of olive oil seasoned with salt and pepper and then topped with avocado salsa.

I cooked the salmon on medium heat, it took about 4 min on one side and maybe 3 once I turned it but our filets were pretty thin. I like to make sure that the salmon is not overcooked because it gets really dry when over cooked but cook it how you like it.

Avocado Salsa:

1 large tomato seeded and chopped
1 large avocado chopped
1/2 of a small onion (about 1/4 cup)
1 Tbl of fresh cilantro chopped (I left this out because my husband is not a fan)
1 Tbl lemon or lime juice (I used a little of both tonight and was really good)
1 clove of chopped garlic
a few dashes hot pepper sauce (I used tobasco)
a little salt

It will taste good right away but is best if you chill it for a couple of hours. This is from The Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and there is a Mango Salsa recipe in there that is also wonderful on fish.

This is a great, really healthy meal that takes no time to make.

Moose update

Moose has been a really good kitten, very playful but really just a lap cat. We took him to the vet on Wednesday and he was given 3 vaccinations. We were warned that it might be a bit much for him and it was, when we came home he fell asleep and barely moved for the last two days. Today he is back to his hyper playful ways so I think all is well. Here are a few pics, the most concerning one being Moose on top of Frank's cage... our only real issue with our kitten :)

Recipe 1

I have decided to post may favorite recipes as I make my favorite meals, after all the one hobby that I have always kept up with is cooking.

My first recipe is one of my favorite salads and is probably one that you all know but I made it for a church pot luck today and thought I would go ahead and make it my first post.

Spinach
Strawberries
Walnuts
Feta
Vinaigrette (my favorite on this salad is Briannas blush wine vinaigrette)

Just slice up your strawberries, make sure your spinach is clean and toss everything together, you do not need much feta because it is a pretty strong cheese. Super simple and really good!


The other recipe I made this weekend is Leigh's Yummy Banana Bread and that recipe can be found here. I have been looking for "my" banana bread recipe for a long time and think I finally have one that I plan to always use, thanks Leigh :)