Childless by Circumstance, Happy by Choice...

Our Town

We're coming up on the 1-year anniversary of purchasing our homestead, and now that the weather is turning warmer, we're having a great time getting to know our little town!

We've enjoyed hikes and drives through the Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive, the entrance of which is just 15 minutes away. 

Our dogs, Emmett and Graham, are also enjoying their new digs!  We've found a wonderful new vet and groomer, and both pups enjoy having a large yard space to explore.  We're also discovering that EVERYONE around us has dogs, and many of them like to wander over for visits (including 'Tiger', the Yorkie from next door and 'Jack/Red' the Chocolate Lab who came to visit for a whole weekend!).

We've also become involved in our church - Front Royal United Methodist - in a variety of ways.  Jean and I both sing in the 8:30 choir, Jean plays upright bass with the Praise Band and occasionally drives the church bus, I serve as the Adult & Family Coordinator (putting on weekly 'Seed & Feed' dinners), and Jean serves on the Worship Arts Committee.  Jean has also been hired to do several renovation and repair jobs for the church.

And just a few odds and ends from around town.  Our town :) 

Happy New Year!

Maybe it's nostalgia,  maybe it's perspective, maybe it's an aging memory, or maybe it's just the half bottle of Prosecco I put away for breakfast, but I can't seem to remember one really bad thing about 2012.  Even the trials and difficulties all lead - or are leading, we're sure - to something bigger and better.  Jean and I had a wonderful 2012 full of fun, laughter, and accomplishments, and are looking forward to an even more joyful and fulfilling 2013.

Remember our Resolutions & Goals posts back in the beginning of 2012, outlining our New Years Resolutions?  Here (and below; in photos) is a look back at just how we did:

• Buy a home 
• Move to my parents' town 
• Conceive our first child
• Scrapbook our wedding
• Scrapbook our honeymoon
• Learn to crochet
• Learn to knit socks

In like fashion, we've come up with just a few new goals and resolutions for the coming year (in addition to carrying over incomplete goals from 2012):

• Speak with gentleness, both in voice and content (both)
• Start - and get up to date on - our Christmas/New Years scrapbook album (M)
• Consistently, successfully roast a whole chicken (M)
• Go hiking at least 1x/month (both)
• Pursue leadership/reading/solo choir opportunities at church (J)
• Study Proverbs (both)
• Finish basement living area (J)

Do any of you make New Years Resolutions?  What are they?  Any tricks for keeping them?

Happy New Year!

TFH

Spring . . . Summer . . . Fall

So much has been happening on the Finstad Homestead over the last few months, we haven't had time to post!  Here's a quick recap (with more detailed posts to come):

In June, Jean and I, along with several other NSA friends spoke to our good friend Carl Herder's graduate fluency class about stuttering and about the NSA.  This is something that we've done a few times now, and we really enjoy it.  What a lucky girl I am to be surrounded by so many awesome stutterers and to have the Herders as friends!

On April 21st we found - and made an offer on - our first house!  It's a 3-bedroom/2-bath rambler with a full basement, sitting on just over one partly-wooded acre atop Apple Mountain.  Just a few days later our offer was accepted, and we began the process of purchasing our home (loan approval, inspections, etc.)  Because we went with a USDA loan, the process was lo-o-o-ng and arduous, but well worth it in the end.










On June 15th, Jean celebrated his 31st birthday.  What an old man!  Once again, I baked him a rainbow-Nutella-Fruity Pebble cake (4th year in a row!) and we celebrated with a quiet evening out together.

In July we head down to St. Petersburg, Florida for a week for the 29th Annual National Stuttering Association Conference.  The Friday before we were to leave we received a call that our home loan had been approved!  The bad news was, since it had taken so long to process, we needed to close on the house the following week, the week we were meant to be in Florida.  We scrambled and were able to change Jean's flight and shuttle reservations, and I head down to Florida alone on Monday morning, and he joined me on Tuesday night after buying our home that afternoon!

We returned from Florida on Monday July 9th around 1PM, and we were already packing by 3PM that afternoon!  Needless to say, we were excited to finally be homeowners, and couldn't wait to get started.  Not sure what we were thinking, though.  Packing sucks!

July 15th - Moving day is finally here!  Several of our friends came over to help us load up the U-Haul, and we were able to move everything in one trip (more or less).  Jean and Carl were NOT happy to be moving the piano up and down steps and around corners, though :)

The day after moving in we hit IKEA to purchase some of the furniture and items we needed for our new home.  It was QUITE the shopping trip!  Let's just say, we're glad we kept the U-Haul for an extra day!

On September 30th we became members of the Front Royal United Methodist Church and couldn't be more thrilled!  Jean has been doing handyman work for the church and has been playing with the Praise Band during services on Sunday mornings, and I have been invited to serve in several different ways as well.  We love our FR-UMC family!

Fall is here now, the leaves are changing, and we're loving getting settled in our new home on the mountain.  Though the home was newly-remodeled when we bought it, we've done quite a bit of work putting our own personal touches on the place, including painting, refinishing furniture and the deck, and remodeling the fireplace.

Week in Review: Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone!  Our Lenten Challenge is coming to a close.  How did everyone do?
 

Weekly Goals (week of April 1)

* Complete 2 honeymoon scrapbook pages

* Work out 3x  FIVE times.  BEWM! 

* Complete April menu   

* Make monthly grocery shopping trip to Aldi

* 3 Acts of Service for Jean

* Weed the garden

* Bake sheep cupcakes for Easter Egg Hunt

* Make a batch of dog food

* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion)

* Finish Janice & Kevin's baby booties, start a scarf for the NSA Live Auction in July, start the sock's mate, start and finish at least 3 dishcloths for Sarah D Finished 4 dishcloths, in addition to a few other projects

 

 

                      April 2012 Menu                                                                             Baaaaaa!

Lenten Changes (things I'm refocusing during the Lenten season)

* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion) on time
* No snacking! 3 modest meals a deal with nothing solid in between. Also, no meat on Fridays. I kind of petered out on this . . .
* Actively speak Jean's 'Love Languages' (Physical Touch & Acts of Service) more often and more effectively


2012 Resolutions & Goals (the 'big-ticket' items I/we would like to accomplish this year)
* Buy a home  On Monday, 4/9, we found a home that we fell in love with.  Our mortgage guy says that it is a 'fit' for us financially, and we're hoping to see it in person (more than just walking around the property and peeking in the windows) soon!
* Move to my parents' town (hopefully we can kill two birds with one stone for #1 & 2!)
* Conceive our first child We are nearing the end of our testing for infertility treatments, and will soon need to make the decision if this is the next step for us.
* Scrapbook our wedding
* Scrapbook our honeymoon 
* Learn to crochet

* Learn to knit socks

Lent may be over, but there are still 8+ months left of 2012, so check back often and we cross items off the list!

Week in Review: April 1

It's the last week of Lent!   Lent is often a time of year when people give up certain foods or habits, or add practices to refocus certain habits.  Given its timing, just a few weeks after making New Years resolutions, I've tried to use this time to solidify those resolutions into everyday habits.  Here's how it went this past week, and what I have coming up this week: 

 

Weekly Goals (week of March 25)

We were out of town for my birthday this past weekend, so the list was a little short :)

* Make a trip to Scrapbooks Plus

* Work out 2x 

* Work on April menu  

* 3 Acts of Service for Jean

* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion) I fell behind the first two days we were out of town, but quickly caught up on day 3

* Finish Janice & Kevin's baby booties and pullover baby sweater, finish (start!) a scarf for the NSA Live Auction in July, start the sock's mate. I finished the sweater, and started/finished another blanket

* Prepare food/treats to take out of town with us

 

                      Overall, not a bad birthday!

Lenten Changes (things I'm refocusing during the Lenten season)

* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion) on time
* No snacking! 3 modest meals a deal with nothing solid in between. Also, no meat on Fridays.   Yeeeaaaah, not so easy on vacation
* Actively speak Jean's 'Love Languages' (Physical Touch & Acts of Service) more often and more effectively


2012 Resolutions & Goals (the 'big-ticket' items I/we would like to accomplish this year)
* Buy a home 
* Move to my parents' town (hopefully we can kill two birds with one stone for #1 & 2!)
* Conceive our first child
* Scrapbook our wedding
* Scrapbook our honeymoon 
* Learn to crochet

* Learn to knit socks

Weekly Goals (week of April 1)

* Complete 2 honeymoon scrapbook pages

* Work out 3x 

* Complete April menu   

* Make monthly grocery shopping trip to Aldi

* 3 Acts of Service for Jean

* Weed the garden

* Bake sheep cupcakes for Easter Egg Hunt

* Make a batch of dog food

* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion)

* Finish Janice & Kevin's baby booties, start a scarf for the NSA Live Auction in July, start the sock's mate, start and finish at least 3 dishcloths for Sarah D

Week in Review: March 25

Two posts in 24 hours?  Wild, I know.  This productivity stuff is pretty cool.  Check it out!

Weekly Goals (week of March 18)
* Complete 2x honeymoon scrapbook pages I never made it out to Scrapbooks Plus this week
* Work out 3x Nope...only twice
* Start April menu  
* 3 Acts of Service for Jean
* Clean out plastic drawers in bathroom
* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion)
* Finish Janice & Kevin's baby booties, and finish (start!) a scarf for the NSA Live Auction in July.  Once again, I completed a LOT of knitting, but not the projects I set out to do!
* Deep clean both the kitchen and bathroom floors Jean read last week's post and returned my mop :)
* Bake treats for lunches/desserts

The first of my 2012 Resolutions is complete; I've knit my first sock! 
Now I just need to muster up the motivation to knit its mate. . .

Lenten Changes (things I'm refocusing during the Lenten season)

* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion) on time
* No snacking! 3 modest meals a deal with nothing solid in between. Also, no meat on Fridays.   I accidentally sprinkled bacon on our salad at dinner.  Oops.
* Actively speak Jean's 'Love Languages' (Physical Touch & Acts of Service) more often and more effectively


2012 Resolutions & Goals (the 'big-ticket' items I/we would like to accomplish this year)
* Buy a home 
* Move to my parents' town (hopefully we can kill two birds with one stone for #1 & 2!)
* Conceive our first child
* Scrapbook our wedding
* Scrapbook our honeymoon 
* Learn to crochet

* Learn to knit socks Yee-haw, what's up?!

Weekly Goals (week of March 25)

We are headed out of town for my birthday this weekend, so the list is a little short.  It's a hard life :)

* Make a trip to Scrapbooks Plus

* Work out 2x 

* Work on April menu  

* 3 Acts of Service for Jean

* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion)

* Finish Janice & Kevin's baby booties and pullover baby sweater, finish (start!) a scarf for the NSA Live Auction in July, start the sock's mate.

* Prepare food/treats to take out of town with us

May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor!

Anyone else caught up in the Hunger Games craze?  We are.  

I'm a big reader. I frequent bookstores and our public library, and I've usually got several books going on at the same time.  Novels, history, mystery, how-to, you name it.  Jean, on the other hand, claims that he has not finished a book for pleasure since high school.  Recently I started the Hunger Games series (Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay) on the recommendation of my sister-in-law, Laine, and about halfway through the first book, I had a conversation with Jean that went something like this:

Me: Hey, I'm reading this Hunger Games book, and it's pretty good.  I think you'd like it.

Jean: I don't read.

Me: Yeah, but it's kind of a war-post-apocalypse-sci-fi kinda deal.  You like that stuff.

Jean: Yeah, but I don't read.

A few days later . . .

Me: I'm done, and I put the book on your bedside table just in case.

Jean: Uhhh, OK.

A few days later . . .

Me: Nothing on TV tonight.  Why don't we just go to bed and read?

Jean: Uhhh, OK.

A few days later . . .

Jean: HAVE YOU FINISHED MOCKINGJAY YET?!  I'M DYING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS!!!

We went out with our good friends the Herders to see the Hunger Games  movie last night.  I won't spoil it for you, but simply suggest that you read the book.  If you've already seen the movie, and weren't crazy about it, read the book.  Especially if you want to see the movie, but aren't familiar with the story, read the book.  Really, this advice holds for pretty much any book-turned-movie (except maybe Angela's Ashes and To Kill a Mockingbird . . . those were fantastic movies).

Oh, and be sure to drink a few pomegranate margaritas, beer cocktails, and
take a lame-o movie theater pictures first, too :)

Week in Review: March 18

We're halfway through Lent!  I've found it easier to stick to some goals (Bible reading) than others (working out), but I'm still plugging along.  How are all of you doing with your weekly/Lenten/yearly goals and resolutions?  Here's how I've been doing:

Weekly Goals (week of March 11)
* Empty & clean 2 bookshelves, board game shelf, and DVD shelf  I emptied and cleaned our big bookshelf, and organized the others
* Complete 2x honeymoon scrapbook pages I've started! I'll be making a trip to the local scrapbook store this week to purchase the finishing embellishments
* Work out 3x Just one run/walk on the treadmill, in addition to the regular hand-washing laundry (all of it, still!) and gardening
* Bake St. Patrick's Day goodies for the NSA TwST meeting that I co-lead (this Tuesday) Nope!  Good thing, since we only had one teen show up this time :(
* 3 Acts of Service for Jean Just one . . . acting as a spare set of eyes for Jean at work.  Finding out of the ordinary acts is proving more difficult than I thought!
* Clean out medicine cabinet
* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion)
* Finish Janice & Kevin's baby blanket #2, one pair of booties, and finish (start!) a scarf for the NSA Live Auction in July. Finished the Telfer's baby blanket #2, as well as a hat, two plush toys, and two pairs of mitts for them, in addition to starting a second hat.
* Deep clean both the kitchen and bathroom floors Jean took my mop to his job site, and I haven't seen it since :)

Even with our recent fertility issues, I'm loving working on this
'Welcome Baby Telfer' care package for our dear friends in Scotland!

Lenten Changes (things I'm refocusing during the Lenten season)

Still going well!
* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion) on time
* No snacking! 3 modest meals a deal with nothing solid in between. Also, no meat on Fridays. 
* Actively speak Jean's 'Love Languages' (Physical Touch & Acts of Service) more often and more effectively


2012 Resolutions & Goals (the 'big-ticket' items I/we would like to accomplish this year)
I can't wait to cross any one of these items off of this list!
* Buy a home 
* Move to my parents' town (hopefully we can kill two birds with one stone for #1 & 2!)
* Conceive our first child
* Scrapbook our wedding
* Scrapbook our honeymoon 
* Learn to crochet

* Learn to knit socks

Weekly Goals (week of March 18)
* Complete 2x honeymoon scrapbook pages
* Work out 3x 
* Start April menu  
* 3 Acts of Service for Jean
* Clean out plastic drawers in bathroom
* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion)
* Finish Janice & Kevin's baby booties, and finish (start!) a scarf for the NSA Live Auction in July.
* Deep clean both the kitchen and bathroom floors
* Bake treats for lunches/desserts

Week in Review: March 11

We're now 2 1/2 months into 2012 and almost halfway through Lent, so how is everyone doing with their weekly/Lenten/New Year's goals and resolutions?  Anyone else having trouble?  I slipped a little this past week and didn't do so well with my goals, but that's what this coming week is for, right?  And hey, now I have an extra hour of daylight in which to accomplish my list!  Below is how the week went for me . . . how did you do? 

Weekly Goals (week of March 4)

* Empty & clean 2 bookshelves, board game shelf, and DVD shelf

* Donate (at least) 3 pieces of clothing We ended up donating FOUR BAGS of clothes and shoes to Goodwill!

* Make a Goodwill drop off

*Complete 2x honeymoon scrapbook pages I got them organized . . . but not completed

* Work out 3x Again, I didn't complete 3 intentional workouts, but I'm going to count this as completed after doing some serious muscle-work this week.  I planted our entire garden, as well as hand-washed ALL of our laundry (our washer is broken!), and these both left me so sore!

* 3 Acts of Service for Jean  1- Planting our garden / 2- Hand washing laundry so Jean can put 'fixing the washer' at the bottom of his priority list while still having clean clothes / 3- Making doctor's appointments

* Clean out medicine cabinet

* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion)

* Make grocery list

* Make the once-monthly grocery run to Aldi

* Finish Janice & Kevin's baby blanket #2 I haven't finished the blanket, but I did start and finish half of a set of booties for them!

* Finish (start!) the scarf I was hired to knit

Lenten Changes (things I'm refocusing during the Lenten season)
Still plugging along and enjoying all three!

* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion) on time

* No snacking! 3 modest meals a deal with nothing solid in between. Also, no meat on Fridays. I ate meat this Friday.  Whoops.

* Actively speak Jean's 'Love Languages' (Physical Touch & Acts of Service) more often and more effectively

2012 Resolutions & Goals (the 'big-ticket' items I/we would like to accomplish this year)

* Buy a home Taxes are DONE, the official IRS-filed copy just has to be submitted to our mortgage guy.

* Move to my parents' town (hopefully we can kill two birds with one stone for #1 & 2!)

* Conceive our first child We had our first appointment with Dominion Fertility this past Monday, and received some not-so-promising news.  Regardless, we're leaning on our faith and starting the testing and treatment processes.

* Scrapbook our wedding

* Scrapbook our honeymoon I ordered and received our honeymoon prints, and organized the first two scrapbook pages.

* Learn to crochet

* Learn to knit socks

See how OK we look at the fertility clinic, even with all of the baby photos behind us?

Since I didn't do so well this past week, a lot of items will be repeated in this coming week's challenge. Stay tuned to see how I do, and be sure to leave me a comment letting me know what you're working on this week/month/Lent/year!

Weekly Goals (week of March 11)

* Empty & clean 2 bookshelves, board game shelf, and DVD shelf

* Complete 2x honeymoon scrapbook pages 

* Work out 3x 

* Bake St. Patrick's Day goodies for the NSA TwST meeting that I co-lead (this Tuesday)

* 3 Acts of Service for Jean 

* Clean out medicine cabinet

* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion)

* Finish Janice & Kevin's baby blanket #2, one pair of booties, and finish (start!) a scarf for the NSA Live Auction in July.

* Deep clean both the kitchen and bathroom floors

Week in Review: March 4th

It's been a week since my last Goals & Resolutions post, so how did everyone else do with their weeks? Here's how mine went:

Weekly goals (the out-of-the-ordinary items I'd like to accomplish this week)
* Exercise at least 3x More or less, yes, but I won't cross this off as 'completed' because I did not intentionally complete 3 workouts this week, rather was just more active than normal
* Keep up-to-date on daily Lenten Bible readings (via YouVersion)
* Make a batch of No-Bake Oatmeal Chocolate Bars
* Complete March menu plan
* Clean out medicine cabinet
* Finish knitting balaclava for Jean, blanket for our friends Janice & Kevin's peanut, and at least 2 dishcloths Finished all of this in addition to 3 more dishcloths and 1/3 of another baby blanket! What can I say, we had some rainy days this week :)
* Organize spice drawer
* Organize utensil drawer
* Find 3 Acts of Service that I can do for Jean to make his week a little easier This one was difficult, but fun! I had to find 3 things that Jean had either asked me to do, but that I'd put off (usually because I did not want to do them), or something that benefited him, but in no way benefited me. So what were those 3 Acts?

Act of Service #1: Groom Emmett.
It's a pain to haul him into the bathtub and deal with a squirmy, unhappy dog, and (as is evident by the photo!), I am not an expert groomer. But, Jean had made a few comments lately about how much Em needed a haircut, so he had a spa day!

Act of Service #2: Call all of our credit card companies and ask for lower interest rates.
This is something that Jean has been hinting at for months, since a couple of our cards have rates that aren't all that low (or, at least not low enough in our minds!). Believe it or not, of the two of us, I'm the one who least likes making phone calls. Yes, I know that I'm the one with the friendly, bubbly personality, and no, I'm not the one who stutters, but I really don't like making phone calls. There, I said it. In the end, we ended up with lower rates on two of the three cards (significantly lower on one!).

Act of Service #3: Act as a runner between home and Jean's current job.
A couple of times I walked lunch over to his job (about 1/2 a mile away), but I'm not really counting this since I got some exercise and a picnic with my hubby out of it. There was one rainy afternoon in particular that I was settled into my nest, knitting happily, when Jean asked me to drive over and bring him some isopropyl alcohol. No fun, and of zero benefit to me, but it helped him out immensely.


So what about our broader goals? We've made some progress on those as well!


Lenten Changes (things I'm refocusing during the Lenten season)
So far, so good on all three!
* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion) on time
* No snacking! 3 modest meals a deal with nothing solid in between. Also, no meat on Fridays.
* Actively speak Jean's 'Love Languages' (Physical Touch & Acts of Service) more often and more effectively


2012 Resolutions & Goals (the 'big-ticket' items I/we would like to accomplish this year)
* Buy a home Taxes are almost done, and then it's off to our mortgage guy!
* Move to my parents' town (hopefully we can kill two birds with one stone for #1 & 2!)
* Conceive our first child We have started the ball rolling for fertility consultations and treatments
* Scrapbook our wedding
* Scrapbook our honeymoon Our honeymoon prints should arrive today!
* Learn to crochet
* Learn to knit socks


I did fairly well this past week, so I'm adding a few more items onto this week's challenge. Stay tuned to see how I do, and be sure to leave me a comment letting me know what you're working on his week/month/Lent/year!


Weekly Goals (week of March 4)
* Empty & clean 2 bookshelves, board game shelf, and DVD shelf
* Donate (at least) 3 pieces of clothing
* Make a Goodwill drop off
*Complete 2x honeymoon scrapbook pages
* Work out 3x
* 3 Acts of Service for Jean
* Clean out medicine cabinet
* Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion)
* Make grocery list
* Make the once-monthly grocery run to Aldi
* Finish Janice & Kevin's baby blanket #2
* Finish (start!) the scarf I was hired to knit

{March 2012 Menu}

Daylight Savings, St. Patrick's Day, the First Day of Spring...it must be March!
So tell me, what's on your menu this month?




















March 2012 MENU
1- Peruvian Chicken +
2- Bean Burritos^
3- Papa John's (Free pizza coupon code!)
4- Coconut Chicken w/ Apricot Sauce+
5- Black-Eyed Peas w/ Country Ham
6- Chicken Tortilla Soup+
7- Beef Stroganoff*
8- Buffalo Chicken Potato Casserole+
9- Cheese and White Pizzas ^
10- Double Crunch Pork Chops+
11- Pork Tenderloin+*
12- Broccoli Chicken Tater Tot Casserole+
13- Leftovers (NSA TwST Meeting)
14- Steak and Cheese Sandwiches
15- Cube Steak
16- Wine and Cheese^
17- Corned Beef*
19- Roast Beef*+
20- Pan-Fried Noodles w/ Broccoli
21- Cheddar Cheese Chicken+
22- French Fry Pie+
23- Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches*+
24- Cheese and White Pizzas^
25- Tacos
26- Ribs*
27- Chicken Wings+ and Caesar Salad
28- Cashew Chicken+
29- Honey Lime Garlic Chicken+
30- Baked Beans w/ Cornbread^
31- Eat out (Happy Birthday to me!)

* Crock-Pot
+ Pinterest
^ Meatless (Lent)

Resolutions & Goals: Part I

Happy Lent, Everyone!

I find that I tend to get more accomplished when I write things down, so I'm a natural list person, be it my short-term, daily to-do list or my long-term New Year's resolutions. This series of posts will be a collaboration of my New Year's Resolutions, my weekly goals (in the spirit of the oh-so-inspiring Alicia over at Alicia's Homemaking), and my Lenten goals.

I keep running lists in the 'Notes' app on my iPhone including my main to-do list, trip packing list, books to buy/check out, songs to purchase, menus, grocery/shopping lists, gifts to give, etc. and find that without these at my fingertips 24/7 I would be lost!

Is anyone else out there using this time to refocus, refresh, or make (or break!) a few habits? What things are you hoping to accomplish this week/month/year? Stay tuned to see what's on my list each week, and post your goals in the comments!


Weekly Goals (the out-of-the-ordinary items I'd like to accomplish this week)

• Exercise at least 3x
• Keep up-to-date on daily Lenten Bible readings (via YouVersion)
• Make a batch of No-Bake Oatmeal Chocolate Bars
  
• Complete March menu plan
• Clean out medicine cabinet
• Finish knitting balaclava for Jean, blanket for our friends Janice & Kevin's peanut, and at least 2 dishcloths
  
• Organize spice drawer
• Organize utensil drawer
• Find 3 Acts of Service that I can do for Jean to make his week a little easier
  

Lenten Changes (things I'm refocusing during the Lenten season)

• Complete all daily Lenten Bible Readings (via YouVersion) on time
  
• No snacking! 3 modest meals a deal with nothing solid in between
• Actively speak Jean's 'Love Languages' (Physical Touch & Acts of Service) more often and more effectively
  

2012 Resolutions & Goals (the 'big-ticket' items I/we would like to accomplish this year)

• Buy a home
• Move to my parents' town (hopefully we can kill two birds with one stone for #1 & 2!)
• Conceive our first child
• Scrapbook our wedding
• Scrapbook our honeymoon
  
• Learn to crochet
• Learn to knit socks

Stay tuned!

{February 2012 Menu}

February 2012 Menu
1- Buffalo Chicken Roll-Ups +
2- Cheese & Cracker Spread
3- Pizza
4- Jean Gig/Leftovers
5- Wings & Potato Skins (Super Bowl)
6- Double Crunch Pork Chops +
7- Ranch Cheesy Chicken Lasagna +
8- Peruvian Chicken Quarters +
9- Steamed Sole (Mandy in FL) +
10- Jambalaya (Mandy in FL) +
11- Stuffed Peppers (Mandy in FL) +
12- Eat Out/Order In
13- Broccoli Chicken Tater Tot Casserole +
14- Leftovers (TwST Meeting)
15- Spaghetti Carbonara +
16- Tortilla Soup +
17- Baked Ziti *
18- Beer-Battered Chicken Nuggets & Valentine Hors D'oeuvres
19- Ham & Black-Eyed Peas
20- Asparagus Risotto & Sausage +
21- General Tso's Chicken +
22- Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti +
23- Enchiladas
24- Jean Gig/Leftovers
25- Pizza
26- Pot Roast
27- Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta +
28- Beef Stroganoff *
29- Butter Chicken +

+ Pinterest recipe
* Crock*Pot recipe

{January 2012 Menu}

Happy New Year!

Once again, this month's menu is brought to you (mostly) by Pinterest. You'll also find several Crock*Pot recipes sprinkled throughout, noted by a '+'. Enjoy!

January 2012 Menu
1- Blackeyed Peas w/ Country Ham (NEW YEAR'S DAY!)
2- Buffalo Tacos
3- Coconut Apricot Chicken +
4- Chili & Cornbread
5- Chicken & Dumplings +
6- Chili Dogs
7- Meatball Sliders +
8- Mini Chicken Alfredo in Shells +
9- Parmesan Chicken Quarters
10- Balsamic Asparagus Penne +
11- Broccoli Chicken Tater Tot Casserole +
12- Whiskey BBQ Turkey Burgers +
13- Pizza
14- Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches *+
15- Beef Stroganoff *
16- Lemon Garlic Chicken +
17- Double Crunch Pork Chops +
18- Baked Potato Soup *+
19- Coconut Chicken w Chili Sauce +
20- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
21- IOTA SHOW
22- Ranch Pork Chops *+
23- Baked Ziti *
24- Tacos
25- Cube Steak
26- Turkey Burgers
27- Tortollini Meatball Soup
28- Balsamic Pork Loin *
29- Ribs *
30- Cheddar Chicken +
31- Breakfast

+ Pinterest recipe
* Crock*Pot recipe

{It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!}

Is everyone having a wonderful holiday season?

Christmas at The Finstad Homestead means a lot of shopping, crafting, secrets, cooking/baking, and some local travel with a few Starbucks runs thrown in - all fun!

This year, as is tradition, we enjoyed a delicious seafood and pasta dinner and a 'Secret Santa' gift exchange on Christmas Eve with the Pesci side of Jean's family. It was wonderful to gather with family both near and far (over Skype!), share a meal, play with the young cousins, and start the Christmas celebrations the night before.



Another tradition we enjoy each Christmas is giving to those less fortunate than ourselves. While we make a true effort to give throughout the year through a variety of programs, what we enjoyed most this year was putting together a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. All it took was a trip to the dollar sections of Target and Michaels, but I hope that the 5 to 9-year old girl that receives our box enjoys all of the fun (and some practical) items we put in the box. We sure enjoyed filling it!

One of our most treasured traditions is attending the candlelight church service on Christmas Eve. This is something that I have done since high school, and Jean and I have continued this tradition. Both last year and this one we attended Christmas Eve services at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church where we regularly attend Sunday services. This tradition definitely puts us in the right frame of mind for the next day!



Speaking of Christmas Day...what fun! Before we headed to bed the night before, we made sure to turn on the flame feature on our electric heater so Santa would know where to find us, and he did! The next morning, we started off the day by having our own mini-Christmas gift giving, just the two of us. Jean and my parents had gone in together to purchase me a treadmill for my gift back in October (when it was on sale), so I didn't expect a single solitary thing this year, but I was thrilled to find a package from Santa on top of our electric fireplace!


Sneaky Jean had told Santa about the Steve Madden coat that I had had my eye on at Nordstrom Rack just two days earlier. Jean also enjoyed his gifts, including Redskins pajama bottoms (it's a tradition to buy/receive new jammy bottoms for Christmas!) and a Harry Potter Gryffindor scarf, handmade by yours truly!

After finishing our own Christmas morning celebrations, we finished packing up the car to head out to Front Royal to celebrate with Mom and Dad, via our local Starbucks, of course (and yes, we went into Starbucks in our Redskins and gift-wrapped present PJ's!). When we arrived, we were greeted with a warm house, a table full of yummy snacks and baked goods, and a giant present mountain under the tree. The four of us headed upstairs to mom and dad's cozy new loft to open our gifts, including hand knit items for mom and dad, lots and lots of knee socks and sweater tights for me, and a brand new gas grill for Jean!


The rest of the afternoon was spent in the loft with the pups, on the recliner couch, watching the many DVD's we had brought with us, including two VeggieTales Christmas movies, 'Keeping the Promise', and 'The Nativity Story'. We were able to tear ourselves away from the giant HDTV and fireplace once the yummy dinner smells started coming from the kitchen, though! The next day mom and I hit the after-Christmas sale at Target and stocked up on gift wrap for next year. Jean and I also drove around a checked out a few houses and neighborhoods that we have our eye on. As soon as we're in the new year, we'll be getting the home buying ball rolling!


Christmas wasn't over yet, though! John and Laine and our nieces returned home from her family's on the 26th, so we all headed to Herndon to celebrate with them on the morning of the 27th. We enjoyed yummy sandwiches made from Christmas dinner leftovers and even MORE gift-giving! Jean and I were THRILLED to unwrap a new Keurig coffee maker!


We were a little worried that our middle niece, Mary, wouldn't be too keen on the whole Christmas chaos after her not-so-successful visit to Santa this year, but I think she understand now that he's not so scary after all :)

All-in-all it was a wonderful holiday, and now we're looking forward to the new year and all of the exciting changes it promises to bring us!

{December Menu}

Sorry about last month!

I'm not sure what happened, but for some reason I just didn't get a menu out. It was weird not having one, and while we certainly didn't starve or get takeout every night, we definitely spent a lot more on food than we normally would have if I had put some effort into the planning. I also didn't realize how much my menus are missed by others when I don't make them!

So, without further ado, here is the December 2011 menu, brought to you (mostly!) by Pinterest :)

December 2011 Menu
1- Cheddar Chicken*
2- Out for Janell's Birthday!
3- Pizza
4- Leftovers
5- Paninis*
6- CP Buffalo Chicken*
7- Honey Garlic Pork Chops*
8- Baked Spaghetti in Garlic Bread*
9- Pizza
10- Toasted Ravioli*
11- Chili Cheese Macaroni*
12- Avocado Pasta*
13- Buffalo Chicken & Potato Casserole*
14- Lentil Soup
15- Parmesan Baked Chicken*
16- Balsamic Pork Loin*
17- JTG Show/NSA Holiday Party
18- CP Baked Potato Soup*
19- CP Corned Beef
20- Tacos
21- Pesto Mozzarella Chicken*
22- CP Beef Stroganoff
23- Pad See Ew
24- Pesci Christmas
25- Sims Christmas
26- Front Royal
27- Front Royal
28- Cube Steak
29- Caprese Sausage Pasta
30- JTG Show
31- Filet Mignon (New Year's Eve!)

*Recipe found on Pinterest
CP- Crock*Pot