Warning- a post on breasts & breastfeeding :)

Good morning all.

I am thinking about switching my blog over to a more nutrition based blog.

Last night I was talking to Michelle (my sis-in law) about breast-feeding. She is starting an amazing business of birth photography (this has spurred several conversations since she and I now both work with moms and babies). She suggested that I start writing my thoughts down in blog form. She said it will help me vent, ha (I must have been getting up on another one of my soap-boxes). But seriously, I am considering moving to a blog where I can discuss nutrition/kiddos/eating disorders/breastfeeding/all that other stuff that makes my mind just tick.  I will start here today with voicing a few thoughts on breast-feeding today…

Everyday, I work with beautiful mommas and their babies. I get to talk with them, learn from them, and hope to impact their lives in even just a small way. I have a great job. I feel grateful to hear the stories that I do. I want to voice one that I have heard far too many times.

A sweet young woman is ready after 9 long months of preparation to have her baby. The delivery goes well, but the doctors take the baby away with a few concerns. While the baby is away, the baby is given formula in order to calm the baby down. And now, mom and baby have lost the critical moments they were meant to have. Before I started working at WIC, I would have heard this story and thought nothing of it. Complications happen every day and how great that they are doing well now, right? When I hear this story it is usually followed up by, “well, I figured since they gave formula in the hospital and bc they gave me free formula to take home that I should just keep giving the bottle. And now, baby won’t take the breast”. And THAT is the part that breaks my heart.

Amazing facts about breast-feeding (by no means in-depth)…

-Breast milk is like medicine for babies. No formula will ever be as good for the baby as a mom’s milk. Let’s just say: antibodies, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, leukocytes (help fight disease) just to name a few.

-Breast milk is free. A typical can of formula costs over 15 dollars. I see at least 9 woman a day -none of whom can afford this.

-Colostrum (the first breast milk made for baby) is known as liquid-gold. Mom will make only about a tablespoon for the first day, and bc of how incredibly nutrient rich it is, it is all that baby needs.

-Breast milk changes as baby grows according to their nutrient needs. Formula stays exactly the same.

-Breast milk fights diseases for mom AND baby. Ex. Diabetes, Asthma, Obesity, Childhood Leukemia, SIDS, Breast Cancer, & Ovarian Cancer to name just a few.

The sad truth is that hospitals have contracts with formula companies. And when a hospital offers formula during their stay or sends home a “free” sample of formula with a mom and baby, they are setting them up for failure. Breast milk production in women is simple- the more you breast feed the more milk your body will produce. It works the other way too- the less you breastfeed, the less milk your body will produce. Offering formula instead of breast milk during the first crucial month tells a woman’s body that it doesn’t really need to make milk like it thought it should. It is very common for a woman who is trying to both breastfeed and formula feed to dry up within the first few weeks.

Right from the get-go after a baby is born it is crucial to set mom and baby up for success for breastfeeding.

This could be done by…

-allowing skin-to-skin with mom and baby after delivery (I could go on a huge tangent about the benefits of this. I will refrain until another time)

-helping mom to breastfeed within the first hour

-providing lactation support for every woman who leaves the hospital (after all, breastfeeding is learned, we are not just supposed to know how to do it on our own)

-and encouraging no bottles or pacifiers within the first month (bottles and pacifiers have much different nipples than a breast- this can easily cause nipple-confusion for the baby and result in rejection breastfeeding).

I am by no means saying that women who choose not to breast feed have done anything wrong. What I am saying is that there is a strong need for breastfeeding education for ANY woman who becomes pregnant. I have seen too much heart-ache from women who come into my office a few weeks after delivery wishing they could still breast feed and have not gotten the support they need. WIC and several other organizations are making huge strides to change this and the great news is that it’s working. But, for all those women out there that were not given the information, the assessment, and the support they needed- more needs to be done.

To end, a little disclaimer here- I am simply someone who has studied and worked in the field of breast-feeding. So I am very aware that I have little room to speak in terms of experience. All you ladies who have gone through feeding a newborn (breastfeeding or formula feeding)- you gals are heroes!

Whew, I’m exhausted. And I am sure you are too if you made it through all of my rambles. More to come, but a sincere thanks for reading.

Changes

These past few weeks have moved SO quickly…

So here is a re-cap what has gone on up to here (with pictures when appropriate)…

First of all, early in June we traveled 1st class thanks to Kirk’s connection at American Airlines to Dallas for Jake and Kiran’s wedding. It was so good to catch up with such good friends that I miss dearly and to see Kirk and Kort even if it was just for a quick weekend. You will see as the picture shows, I was a little “too” excited about the free drinks and food.

The following weekend, we went to David’s cousin Phillip’s wedding in Idaho. We drove there with ants in the car but it was a really fun trip and a really beautiful wedding!

We got back on Sunday and closed on our new house on Monday! We now live in Severance, Colorado!! I spent the whole week at work anxious to leave to go get boxes/furniture/kitchen stuff/etc. all in it’s place. When we got our keys, we took our first load over to the house along with soda and Justine’s pizza (mmmmm…) and ate it on the floor where our dining room table would be. I think we have started a new tradition!

We had great help all week from family and friends with the move. A few days later, my gram and grandpa drove up from Texas to see the house and help us get settled in. It was SO good to see them and spend time with them. Within an hour or so of getting there, my kitchen actually looked like a kitchen. My gram is amazing at organizing and never stopped asking how else she could help. My grandpa took us all over town in his truck helping us get the last of our big items (chairs, lawn-mower, etc.) not to mention how many dishes he cleaned for us. It was a joy to have them. One of my favorite parts of having them here was getting to make them David’s waffles for breakfast. If you two are reading this, come back soon!!! We love you and cannot thank you enough!!

Living in our new home has been a blast. A few of my favorite things so far are… I have found that I really love to weed. There is something satisfying about knowing that I am saving my other plants from those nutrient robbers. David laughs when I talk about it. Also, I am loving cooking with more counter space. I have been and will continue to call my mom for recipe ideas. Then, there are the mountains. Living on the east side of the freeway means we have an AMAZING view for our drive. People say when you live in colorado, you pay a little more bc you pay for the mountains. I say totally worth it. And finally, we live about 4 blocks or so from Kara, Jesse and the kids. It is SO nice to have them near by. We can just walk to each other’s houses for things like dinner, coffee or just to hang out with our niece and nephew. What great people to have so close!!! We are blessed.

And then, to top it off…

Last weekend we got to spend a few days with Kirk, Kort, Mom, Dad and Kellan at a camp in southern Colorado. It was too short of a weekend, but SO much fun. We hiked, played disc golf (which I am terrible at but really really like!), played cards, went to the SAND DUNES ( bucket list picture… ahhhh!), and so much more. It was so refreshing. The rest of the fam stayed for the remainder of the week, but unfortunately we had to return to home as we had to get back for work. Next year… we are taking the whole week off!

Whew. I think that’s it (for now). I will post some pictures of the house as it is becoming more and more a home. Now to all you friends and family whom we love reading this from far away… COME VISIT!! We have an extra bed now 🙂

Many Updates

Whew, it has been a long time since I updated. Much to tell…

So, a week ago today I had my wisdom teeth out. I had been putting this off for a very long time and I finally gave in and decided I really needed to do it. All of my teeth were impacted and all 4 were taken out at once. It has been a ride. David has been the very best care-taker in the whole world. I am pretty sure that he has not gotten any sleep for the past week and he is still in a good mood with me. He is a gift. We went back to the doctor yesterday to see why I am still in pain and he said my bottom two teeth are only about half-way clotted. So, I am still on Vicodin as I am waiting for the bottom two teeth to cooperate. Taking all this medication drives me crazy, but I am thankful that it will all be over soon. But it has to be said that Vicodin has definitely brought out the blonde in me.

For example…

So for the procedure they said it would only take about an hour, but it ended up taking 2.5 hours. When I found this out on the drive home, I groggily asked David, “What did you do the whole time I was in there??”. He told me that he worked on his phone for a while but then it died. Of course, I responded by saying, “Well you can charge it with my charger there” but he told me it was not the right size and wouldn’t work. I said, “Oh,  ya that makes sense”.  And then David says that no more than 10 seconds later I said, “Well what did you do the whole time I was in there??” He said he responded with, “Well, Kailin, I worked on my phone until it died BUT I can’t charge it with your charger bc it won’t fit”. And I was just like “Oh, ok”.  And of course, I don’t remember any of this, but David has teased me several times about it already.

This is just one of the many stories I am sure that David could tell you! The drugs also seem to make me very uninhibited with honesty. If I have an opinion, I will tell it most likely without thinking it through. Luckily, this has not gotten me into any trouble… yet 🙂

David graduated just a few weeks ago. He is now full-time at his job and could not be happier to be done. We had a great weekend celebrating, and the only part missing was my parents! They were supposed to come into town and then stand-by fell through after Houston finally got their first rain, or should I say huge down-pour. We were bummed and they were truly missed. But we are hoping they will be able to come later in June though, and we will definitely see them in July. Here is a picture taken by the incredibly talented Michelle Hamilton after the ceremony. It was around 11pm and we were famished so we grabbed burgers at Red Robin.

In other news, David and I are in the process of buying a house! After a lot of prayer, consideration, and searching, we felt led to put an offer on a house in Severance, Colorado. Within just a few hours, the sellers accepted our offer (we even asked for the Refrigerator!) and we were starting the process. If all goes according to plan we will close on the house June 20th. I am not going to get my hopes fully up yet as I know that there are still a few things such as the appraisal that could change things.  So we will see…

Here is a picture of the outside…

I really like the outside paint but David says it looks a little girly, ha. We might paint within a few years. There are many reasons that we like this house, but to name a few- it is only about 15 min from David’s work and about 25 minutes from mine. Considering that I typically drive 45 minutes to work right now I would be a very happy girl. It has the most beautiful view of the mountains as you drive back to Fort Collins (I have always said that I would like to live on the east side of the freeway for this reason), and finally it is super close to some of our family here in Co. Kara and Jesse and their two amazing kiddos bought a house in the same neighborhood a few months ago, and we love them a lot so we would be so happy to live near them. I will update you when we find out more, but for now we are just praying that God would open doors if this is where we need to be and close them if it is not. We have seen God’s hand in our lives so tangibly that we are choosing to trust in his good and perfect plan for us. That’s always been hard for me, but I have such a peace this time. Now I just have to bite my tongue for a while as I would really love a golden retriever or retriever/lab mix as a new friend for us in the house. We will see!

In just a matter of days now, David and I are going to be headed to two weddings. One in Texas for a dear friend and the other in Idaho for David’s cousin. We will get to see great friends and family and are pretty excited for it! It will make for a whirlwind 2 weeks though!

And also, today is Mary Kesel’s 25th birthday! I have been thinking of her all day! She has been a rock-star friend through so much and I could not love or cherish her more. I wish I could be with you today to get all gussied up & go chat over a pretty drink, but I know you are in good hands. Rain-check?

Happy Birthday to a lovely, genuine and truly valued woman! I love you!

I believe that’s it for now. It’s back to work tomorrow for me after a long break, so I am praying for continued healing, energy, patience, and motivation.

Until next time,

Kailin

just thoughts

How cool to live just a few hours from the deep of the mountains. We went skiing yesterday with a good friend, Joel- such a fantastic time. I am convinced that I will never grow dull to the majesty of the Rockies.

After getting home from skiing, we had some friends over for poker. I lost; David came in second. It was great nonetheless. Following the game, a few friends stayed as we got into conversation about government, capitalism, and politics. Not a light subject to start up at 10pm. We discussed the idea that governments have the tendency to move in a cycle from capitalism to socialism to communism. It is so crazy to me that in every type of society, people still find a way to eventually make it corrupt with people left lacking while others are lifted up to power and wealth. To make a long story short, the conclusion I came to is we are broken and in need of a savior. In a perfect world, any of these societies could be done well, yet we are not perfect. In fact, we are selfish and full of judgement that we do not deserve to use. This must be why when it comes to taxes, Christ says to “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Although we live in societies filled with corruption and greed, God never ceases to take care of his children. This is comforting as each day I walk into an office filled with both extremely needy (in every sense of the word) and those who take advantage. My God is bigger. He is still on His throne.

“You’re my every moment, you calm my raging seas, you walk with me through fire, you heal all of my disease. I trust in you.

I believe that you’re my healer. I believe that you are all I need. I believe that you’re my protion. I believe that you’re more than enough for me.

Nothing is impossible for you; nothing is impossible. You hold my world in your hands.”

These past few weeks have been a whirl wind….

I’ll recap for you…

First of all, David and I got to spend a weekend with his family near Winter Park! It consisted of…

Lots of games, an amazing day of skiing with lots of powder, sledding in the backyard, me trying to snowboard on the sled and failing miserably, coffee, dance compititions with the kinect, Kara’s birthday and birthday lunch at Beau jo’s mmmm, and much more. It was so much fun!

Then, David and I got to go to the Sunshine House CD release show. That was the first time we have been to Everyday Joe’s since we got married.. crazy! The place was packed. This band has a lot in store for it. It was awesome to be a part of that! Sadly, we had to leave early as I started feeling sick all of the sudden.

Whatever that bug was decided to stay with me for about a week. No fun! I am sure David was sick of me only wanting chicken noodle soup and crackers for several days in a row. He took such good care of me.

On Jan 31st David and I were officially married for 6 months! I know it is cheesy to celebrate all the different anniversaries, but I was excited. Time seems to have flown by and yet I feel like I have been married to him for years. Marriage with him is so good.

Then my family came in town for Super Bowl weekend! It is always so good to see them, but this time we went and stayed right by the ski lift at Copper. I will have you know, my parents have not skied in 10 years and they picked up like it was just yesterday. I need to take lessons from them! We skied 3 days straight and then went to Beau jo’s again to watch the Super Bowl in style. Good pizza, good drinks, great company, and huge flat screens for them to get into the game and me to get into the commercials… Ok, ok, I liked the game too.

And finally, I have officially applied to the University of Northern Colorado’s dietetic internship program. After setting up 3 different preceptors to agree to work with me over a time period of 14 months starting this summer, lots of paperwork, essays, resumes, etc… it is over.  Everything has been submitted and now the waiting period begins. I have lots of peace about it… if I don’t get the internship I will just apply another time and perhaps I will go be a flight attendant part time or something to get it out of my system or something.  And if I do get it, then only a little more than a year away from being able to finally do what I have been dreaming of for years now. It is a strange feeling to finally be able to say that I know it is not in my hands now and I have pursued the opportunity to the very best of my ability. I am a firm believer that my God knows more than I do the timeline in which He will carry out this vision.  I’ll keep you updated.

Also, the mountains are beautiful right now. You friends and family reading this from afar are more than welcome to come visit. It would make my day. Love you all! 

Continue reading

A Perfect Weekend

I absolutely love having Friday off. I have been quite spoiled this year with time to really absorb being newlywed, time to gain valuable experience counseling girls about nutrition (even without my RD yet- it feels like this job was placed there just for me), time to relax and not worry about studying, tests, etc., time to enjoy family and friends, and time to do things that David and I really enjoy together.

God has provided this year more than I ever expected. David and I are taken care of left and right and I think one of my favorite parts is being able to see God’s incredible hand of provision and blessing. David is still in school part time and I took a job 45 min away (whew, gas!) for amazing experience yet not amazing pay and somehow, we have still had all that we have really needed and more. I know we are going to look back on this year (and maybe some more to come) and remember the sweetness our God’s provision.

And now- this weekend! It has been quite a success. Friday I got to spend time with Kara and her sweet kiddos. I really needed that. We went to the most adorable knitting shop. You know it is authentic when there are 3 other women just hanging out knitting and talking to the woman running the show! I think both Kara and my mom need to start planning something like that for their retirement. Better yet, why wait?!?

But yes, I got some rather simple yet beautiful yarn to start working with. I have grown so discouraged in the past with my knitting as I cannot seem to both concentrate on a knitting pattern and converstion at the same time. So… I have decided to try something simple this time. It will be simply knit with no special pattern, but I have big plans for it. I took it in the car yesterday and knit for a few hours- so far so good! Now just to finish before the 28th 🙂 I’ll let you know how it goes!

The reason I was able to knit in the car for a few hours is because David, Greg, Nick, and I went skiing at Winter Park yesterday. I think it was the best conditions for skiing so far this year. It was bright, sunny, and beautiful in the morning followed by snow and fresh powder in the afternoon-so perfect. I feel like I am finally starting to get the hang of my longer skis. I am no longer going to be able to fake it down those vicious moguls but I like a good challenge!

After skiing until our bodies were worn out in the best possible way, we ate pizza (Miner’s Dream, of course, with feta cheese, pesto, chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes, etc. mmmm)  at BeauJo’s in Idaho Springs. That pizza is amazing to begin with, but after a long day of skiing, this one tasted like it should have won a Food Network pizza challenge. And finally, the ride home was filled with genuine and challenging discussion. What a day and what even better company. I am thankful that David has grown up with such genuine friends.

And finally, to top it all off, David and I walked outside this morning to find inches upon inches of snow! Everything is white and serene. I love Colorado for so many reasons and mornings like this is one of them. Snow forces me to breathe deep and appreciate the “slow”. I could watch it for hours as long as I could refill this delicious cup of coffee I have by my side.

This weekend has been one I won’t forget- simple and perfect. Now, I must go get in the shower. Emmaus is soon and it is one of the highlights of my week!

2010

 

2011 Already. Last year at this time, David and I were in Texas. Little to my knowledge, he had quite the plan for while we were staying with my family. OH man, this week last year he was asking my parents and my brother for their blessing to ask me to marry him! And then one week later he gave me a homemade twistie tie ring (a real one too, of course… but he asked with a twistie tie- I love him).

I remember watching the ball drop last year as we stayed with my brother and sister in law and him telling me it was going to be a good year. I had no idea how good he meant. I want to take a minute and just recall some of the amazing things that happened this past year…

• David asked me to take his last name. Best question I have ever been asked.
• Going to Houston to wedding dress shop with the ladies in my family
• Lots of fun times skiing
• Visiting great friends in Olympia, Washington -sweet people, amazing coffee, exploring Seattle, trip to emergency room (the usual) 😉
• First real job hunting- found WIC- it has been so much better than I could have expected!
• Graduation from CSU- family came to town, amazing dinner, banana gram, so good
• Starting my job and stumbling my way through learning Spanish as I use it
• Marrying my best friend- amazing family and friends there.
• Las Vegas Honeymoon!- terrible smoke but found our love for craps, blue man group, and cold water on a hot day
• Birth of our new nephew- he is getting so big and even cuter every day!
• Trip to Houston for my Grandpa’s 70th birthday!! I love him so much.
• 1st Thanksgiving with the Hamiltons!
• Skiing with Mary 🙂 She is a natural. That was such a fun weekend!
• Christmas in Texas- 1st Christmas married, soup, decorating a tree, seeing sweet friends that I really miss, waking up early christmas morning, amazing family, etc.
• And as of today- our first snow this season!!

 

It has been quite a year. There have been some hard things too- and some friends that have had more than their share of heart ache. I’ll tell ya though, they are strong and I admire them more than they know… So all of this to say, I am reminded this week of how my friends and my family (which grew a lot this year!) are a gift and so much more than I am deserving of. I am without a doubt blessed and so very thankful.

 

 

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Well, 2 days after Thanksgiving and we still have 2 more days of vacation! This was a great Thanksgiving! Our first one as a married couple, and my first one with the Hamilton family. I made my Gram’s recipe for raspberry jello salad which I am happy to say turned out very well!! It was a blast- great food, even better company, and lots of card games. What more could I ask for?? I must say- I am blessed so much with an amazing in-law family. I truly believe they are an answer to many prayers. This year I truly have so much to be thankful for.

And this year we are spending Christmas with family down in Houston and I am so ready to see everyone!! I am so excited for even more games, soup dinner on Christmas Eve, an early morning on Christmas (maybe a little later this year, though 😉 ???) with present giving and breakfast casserole, and steak for Christmas dinner, and most importantly to see my family!! Oh, it’s gonna be good.

So I have never participated in  Black Friday before, but yesterday morning I looked at the target add and noticed a 25$ Christmas tree that they had on sale! I feel bad to say it, but I woke David up just so that we could go check it out. By the time we got there, the crowds had calmed down and there was even close parking. But I guess you trade one for another- the tree was completely sold out! So, we decided on another tree. I think we got a pretty sweet deal- only 20$, 6ft tall, and perfectly sized for our apartment!! And I have to say, I think the tree looks better (after David did a amazing job with the 500ct strings of lights) than the other tree that was already pre-lit looked!! It looks so good! Our first Christmas tree!!! We did our Christmas-ing with a little Frank Sinatra Christmas music on in the background, some hot cocoa, and with my FAV- Elf!! 🙂 I had been waiting SO long to see it this year!!

Now we have a tree and lights lining the inside of our living room windows. It looks fantastic! I can say that bc basically David did all the manual labor and I was emotional support. It is perfect timing too bc Miss Mary Kesel is coming to visit this next weekend!! I cannot wait. We are going to take her skiing for the very 1st time which is going to be a blast! I am so ready for her to be here!

More to come as the Holiday Season continues! I believe this is my favorite season. So many blessings.

 

It’s Friday night and my eyes won’t shut. So I thought I would come on here and get some thoughts out before trying to fall asleep again.

A bunch has gone on since I last wrote on here but for now, I must tell you about the amazing wedding David and I attended last weekend.

So, my dear friend Beth got married last weekend. I got to go to a shower for her last Friday and then watch her marry the man she has loved for a very long time on Saturday. I remember many conversations over the past few years where this girl told me about her feelings for Rob and the way she felt led to him by the Lord but she didn’t feel like the timing was right yet. She was so patient in waiting on the Lord and I have to tell you, their story is such a sweet testimony that points back to Him.

So, both of their hearts were led to each other for a long time although both of them knew that they were told to wait. Throughout the entire time, neither of them had talked to the other about their feelings. The Lord’s timing is so beautiful. This past May, Rob told Beth about his feeling for her and that he felt led to her. They got engaged this summer and then shared their vows a week ago! Their story is so powerful. How cool that they now are living a marriage that is the fruit of the patience that they were called to! I am so excited to see where the Lord continues to take them.

The wedding was beautiful and so perfectly “Rob and Beth”. The guys wore zoot suits (hats and all!) and the girls wore flapper dresses. They had swing dance lessons before the reception which were so fun (side note: I must add here that David is quite a good dancer and I love him so much for dancing all night with me!) and a big band that played swing tunes all night long. It was simply a fantastic and original wedding. These two are great together and have big things in store for them.

David and I trying to take a picture with the amazing Big Band behind us

 

New Husband and Wife!! They look so good together!

 

Beth and her ladies!

It really was a beautiful wedding full of God’s presence and Joy. What a gift to get to be a witness of it all!

So more to come soon… I am going to have to talk about a delicious pumpkin cake roll with cream cheese icing that Kara and I made soon! But now I am finally tired and am going to sleep.

Continue reading

3 months already

Tomorrow will be 3 months of being married to my best friend. So I want to take a few minutes and talk about what I have learned so far…

1. A full size bed will make for funny stories when you are married to a man who is 6 foot 3. We both are pretty stubborn about how it is the other person’s fault that we are pushed to the edge. I have to admit that there have been a few times that David has fallen off the bed in the middle of the night. It is really hard not to laugh and I am pretty sure those times were my fault. All the other times- no way! (My case doesn’t look good).  BUT in my defense, David weighs more and is taller; therefore, his side of the bed is slanted in his direction and if I face him I basically roll over to his side throughout the night. The point is- we need a bigger bed. It has made for some really funny stories.

2. Getting married is not nearly as scary as I thought it would be before I met David. It is so great knowing that whatever is to come, he will be by my side to face it with me. He has the ability to make a horrible day so much better just by hugging me when I get home. David is so good at giving me advice and holding me accountable. Being married to David is like having an amazing roommate, a best friend, and a soul mate, all wrapped up in one person. I love marriage. I have to say… the wedding was incredible- more than I ever could have wanted, but the marriage is so much better!!

3. I like to cook!!! I was scared that I would be terrible at it. I mean, I have cooked for myself for years but I was intimidated of the idea of someone else eating my food. For me couscous and grilled chicken was some pretty serious stuff. I just hadn’t used many recipes. Now (thanks to some help and recommendations from family and friends), I am actually enjoying making food for David. He is not the guy to never help in the cooking (I mean, he is even making waffles this morning)… it is simply that I really enjoy cooking. I guess it makes sense though considering how much I love health and nutrition. So I will share a recipe here….

This week I made a Zucchini Garden Chowder. A sweet lady at my work gave me this recipe from a seasonal veggies cookbook.

Sidenote: I am making a cookbook for WIC with healthy recipes for specific nutrient deficiencies. She gave me this recipe for my book and I couldn’t wait to try it!!

It is amazing and quite easy. The one thing I did learn from making it though was that it is NOT David’s fault when somehow the one key ingredient makes it onto my receipt and not into my home. I was not mad at him, but boy was I not a pleasant person to be around when I realized after I started cooking that I had to go back for onion.  I will work on being frustrated and then letting it go sooner next time! ha. Anyways… If you want a yummy, healthy, warm soup for the season… give this one a whirl and you won’t be disappointed.

Zucchini Garden Chowder

• 2 Tablespoons butter

(Melt in soup pot over medium heat)

• 1 Medium onion (Chopped)
• 2 Tablespoons fresh Parsley (Chopped)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh basil (Chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried)

Add Onions, Parsley, Basil and saute until smooth

• 1/3 cup flour
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups water

Stir flour and seasonings into vegetables. Gradually stir in water to make a smooth stock.

• 3 Chicken or Vegetable bouillion cubes
• 1 Teaspoon lemon juice

Add and mix well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1.5 cups evaporated fat free milk
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn

Add and return to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes until corn is tender

• 2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Just before serving, add and stir until melted. Add a pinch of sugar to taste and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

mmmmmmmmmm…

4. It is very possible to get hooked on games with your husband that you never thought you would. David plays this game Halo… I always thought it was a silly boy thing, but now even when he is not home sometimes (gasp) I find myself playing it!! It is actually really fun! So now, we have a range of games to play together- bananas, nertz, halo, guitar hero etc. We love games! I have yet to play call of duty though. I still think it is too much for me, but we will see.

These are definitely not all of the things I have learned through marriage, but now I am hungry and like I said David is making waffles!!

So, I will just end by saying… being married to David has been the biggest blessing from my amazing God. He is so good and constantly gives gifts that I do not deserve. I am thankful beyond words.