March

March, in pictures and a few brief words...

March 1.

I had to take the opportunity to take a few pictures of Thomas working on Arabelle (my 2000 BMW 528i).  Since he was laid off, we've "hired" him to do work that would otherwise cost us an arm and a leg.

March 5.

Fernando put some time in at home working on a circuit board for his employer.  Meanwhile, I decided I wanted chocolate cake--hence the Skillet Cake you see in the foreground.

March 7.

A random photo of what happens many nights at our house.  We have to figure out who needs to park where in the driveway so that everyone can get out at the appropriate time in the morning.  With five vehicles crowding the space, it gets a little crazy!!

March 8.

One of the guys took this photo of me, on this day that was supposedly called Day Without a Woman.  I had the privilege of working, so I guess the only thing without this particular woman was my home.  In order to support the radical agenda of the liberal women's group that sponsored the day, women were supposed to wear red to show their solidarity.  True to my independent self, I proudly wore all blue.

March 9.

Thomas had an interview, and volunteered for me to take his picture.  Go figure.  I definitely took advantage of this rare opportunity!

That evening, our family attended a rally to re-elect our town's mayor.  Mayor Claar was happy to pose with us when we greeted him!  He is very involved with this community, and very accessible to its residents.

March 12.

I had to pick up Fernando from O'Hare, and I grabbed the first pair of shoes I could find--my leopard print moccasin slippers!

We also went out to eat (not sure this was the same date, though, so I stuck these two pics in here...) at Ted's Montana Grill, and of course we devoured the apple crisp for dessert.  Yum!

March 14.

March 14 is Pi Day, where geeks around the world celebrate by talking about math and baking pie.  It's also my half birthday, so it has always been a good excuse for baking.  I have only three pie plates, so I used a square dish for the lemon buttermilk pie, which tastes fabulous no matter its shape!

It also snowed, so I ran out to my back yard garden to take some pictures of this rare event--practically no snow at all this entire winter!

The rest of March.

I took random food photos the rest of this month, and here they are!

Hawaiian Haystacks.

Stir Fry Veggies and Black Beans.

Apple Crisp.

The promise of spring.

Spring is coming, never fear.  I was able to fit in a quick trip to the Morton Arboretum to see what I could find pushing its way up through the winter ground.  I was not disappointed!

Back to life,
Christine

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December in Photos

Here's the entire month of December up until Christmas...

Thomas and I went to Trader Joe's to stock up for Christmas prep, and we found a chocolate bar.  A really huge chocolate bar.  Two kilos, to be exact.  Of course I bought it.  It was, after all, just one chocolate bar.

For my work Christmas party at the beginning of December, I had promised on multiple occasions to bake my cake.  So I did. Here's the recipe, in case you wanted it.

December 4 -- our first snow!  The first snow is always the most exciting.  (The last snow is the second-most exciting.)

Fernando left for Knoxville, Kentucky on December 5.  He spent two weeks there in training to be a full-fledged field service technician.  No-- is really loving him so far, and I know Fernando will quickly pick up the technology in the high-speed lamination industry.  He has such a big, sexy brain!

I brought home the rest of my cake from our work Christmas party.  Yeah, my co-workers complained.  But my guys were complaining more loudly, and I have to live with them.

December 9 -- Manicotti Day!  Mom and I kept things simple and made a beautiful batch of Christmas dinner manicotti.

December 11 -- at a Christmas party that I attended where my parents and my younger brother were also invited.  I missed Fernando, but we had a blast together with the other guests.  Two piano guys (Duelling Pianos) played music all night, and dancing broke out; I got Dad and Mom to dance together!  It was awesome.

Random photos of me while Fernando was gone.  I like to have the guys take my picture so I can text them to Fernando so he doesn't forget what I look like.  Or that he has a wife.  :)

I throw some goofy ones in for good measure.

December 18 -- Once Fernando was home, we really just wanted to relax together, because we knew he was flying right back out on Monday.  But, friends invited us to a restaurant for dinner and they wouldn't accept a no, so we ended up having a great meal with them.  It was bitter cold that Sunday, too, and I ended up taking a picture of our frozen car, dirt-spattered and icicle-hanging, in the restaurant parking lot.

December 19 -- At an ungodly hour, I drove Fernando to O'Hare for his next trip.  On the way home, I saw, in person and for the first time, a sun dog!  I took an exit before my usual exit (and one that saves time--Fernando's trick!), since it goes by/through a forest preserve.  I pulled over in a parking lot, positioned the tree in the sun's line of sight, and got this beautiful image of my very first sun dog.  They generally occur shortly after sunrise and at super cold temperatures--it was about 11 below when I took this, I think--and they are much more magnificent in real life than in a photo.

December 21 -- New hair style day!  I got my hair cut, colored, and styled by the daughter of our beauty specialist.  I had it done in the morning, then drove up the street to work in the afternoon.  Andrea (our beauty specialist) took these pictures of me.

A lady gushed over my hair, so I gave her Ali's number and she made an appointment on the spot!

December 22 -- Fernando came home from his most recent trip, and Thomas and I drove to pick him up.  Thomas forgot to fill the gas tank, and we ended up circling around and around and around...  So once we picked up Fernando, we drove to the O'Hare Oasis on I-294 and filled up the tank.  It's so good to have Fernando home for just a little bit at Christmastime!

December 23 -- Fernando was coming to pick me up from work when Arabelle (my BMW) had a radiator burst and overheated.  The night ended up being a time of me shopping in my store while Danny and Thomas drove to meet Fernando, then Danny driving to my work to pick me up and bring me back to the parking lot of Our Lady of the Woods where Fernando pulled in.  Then, it was a tow truck pick-up and driving home, and trying to figure out how to get our BMW repaired.

Finally, the day before Christmas came and I found myself baking bread!  I had made a double batch of cinnamon rolls, which also means making two loaves of bread (my recipe makes enough dough for the equivalent of four loaves of bread).  Mmmm, warm bread with butter, all melty and delicious!

That's my December!  It has flown by in a flash, I can't believe it's Christmas, and the coming of a new year!!


Back to life,
Christine

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Random Thought

I had two high school senior photo shoots this past spring; then, I had an extended family shoot at the start of summer.  I took the photo below at Greene Valley Forest Preserve in Lisle while I was setting up for the family session.  It was a beautiful June evening, definitely hot but the pretty location made up for that.

I don't usually put much stock in feelings, like I have to feel God's love, or feel that He loves me.  I usually can see that He does--in the beauty around me, in a small detail, in the beauty of a photo.  But feelings can be stirred, can rise up, in my heart when I do see those evidences of His love for me.  The above photo is one.  There is a softness, a caring, that I sense in the pale green grasses swaying in the breeze.  And there's a warmth in the sun shining through the trees and brightening my face.  He loves me.

I was tickled, too, when I cut the next small batch of strawberries and came upon the one in the photo above.  One small strawberry, one heart shape, a symbol of love, His love; it was such an insignificant detail.  But it was enough for me.


Back to life,
Christine

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Random Food

Early October.

For some reason, the return of fall brings my focus back around to food--a warm and toasty kitchen filled with wonderful aromas, fresh produce, sweet treats baking in the oven.  Mmmmm!

To celebrate the beginning of baking season, here are three totally and completely random food pictures for you.

Friends continued to bless us with gifts of food during Fernando's search for employment (for which there were now glimmers on the horizon!).  We continued to thank the Lord for His provision, too.  And even though my blogging has suffered during this incredibly difficult year--two months behind now--we keep looking ahead, just one step at a time.  And that's all the Lord asks.


Back to life,
Christine

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