The Veggie of Choice... Creamed Corn!

After dinner....

Fresh out of the oven..... YUM!

8 corn cobs chucked (?) and "milked" What do you actually call it.... because I don't think chucked is right!



When Blake is asked what his favorite veggie is he will say corn and potatoes. Though I continually argue that those don't count, I LOVE corn!!! I haven't done a whole lot with fresh corn, my daddy always did it. But PW's blog for fresh corn casserole helped me master the veggie of choice!

It was a tun of elbow grease I must say. Milking the cobs (as I call it) is quite challenging. After 8 cobs I feel some muscles coming on! But it was so worth it! As you can see, my husband LOVED it! I actually had to ask him to not eat it all so that there would be some for tomorrow!

It was amazing! Can't wait to do it again.... though I might need to stretch my arms beforehand!

The Lehman Pancakes

Many families have a pancake recipe that's stuck around awhile. In our family, every one changes things up a bit to suit their own creative desires. But the bases of the Lehman pancakes have stayed the same. I was lucky and got to enjoy Uncle John's version every Thursday last semester! And they passed it along to me. Well, here I've gone and added my own little twist.... get ready for this. CINNAMON AND NUTMEG! Let me just say it was amazing. I love spice and lots of it! So I added quite a bit and was very pleased! Topped with powdered sugar this was quite a treat :)

A Time To Live

Blake and I traveled to Chatman, Kansas this past weekend to celebrate the life of Mary Lou Jesch, Blake's grandmother. I was gifted the privilege of meeting her in January of this year, sadly that was my only visit with her. She was a sweet woman, the 3 of us talked for hours, listening to her stories and looking at pictures. I had such a fun time learning about my new family and their history. I'm so thankful for that short time with her.

Mary Lou suffered a massive stroke a couple of weeks ago. She lived alone, and so it took some time before she could be taken to the hospital. Thankfully she was not in pain for too long before the Lord brought her peace. I knew it was a sad time for her children and her grandchildren. At the funeral service I was able to observe the sadness in her friends, neighbors, and church family. It's always hard to watch others mourn someone they were rather close to, and my heart broke for them. Many people had stories to share about Mary Lou as we visited, and I enjoyed listening to them.

On our way to Kansas my mother informed me that our next door neighbor passed away from a heart attack. She was such a sweet women, and my heart grieved for her husband. My mother went to her memorial service and shared with me some of the stories. Once again, it's nice to hear those sort of things.

Times likes these often cause me to reflect on my own life and ponder what sort of legacy will I leave behind. Life on Earth can be cut off so instantly, am I prepared? There is a country song that talks about going sky diving and rocky mountain climbing, and other exciting things, but most importantly, live like you are dying. I couldn't agree more. Only, not so much in a do all the things you could ever want to do way, but serving God the way you would if you knew He was coming soon.

I want to leave behind the legacy of being a faithful wife to Blake and a loving friend to all I know. I want to have the heart of a servant. I want a life that honors my Lord and savior. I might not know exactly what God has in store for me, but I want to make right now count too. I want to live like I'm dying.

Overcooked Thoughts

I love cooking, baking, and all things associated with food. There is just something about food that makes people feel happy, comforted, and together. Sometimes it doesn't always work like I'd like it to though. That can be discouraging, considering the time that cooking and baking take.

This week I had a couple of things that didn't work out as planned. I made a sweet cherry pie from scratch. I've been looking forward to making this pie sense I got the cookbook back in April! I was so excited as I searched the produce section for the fresh plump cherries to use. I walked with a skip as I bought a cherry pitter from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. And I read the recipe over and over again, carefully studying each task and side note. I came home from work, very excited to make this pie for Blake.

Well, my usual problems with pie making arose. I couldn't roll the crust out wide enough! So already, the appearance was doomed. I didn't quite feel bothered yet. Then as I checked on it when it was cooking, I realized I forgot something very important! To cover the edge of the crust! So it was pretty dark. Here was this pie I spent all this time on, and I make the same mistakes I always make! Never the less, it did still taste good, and it didn't look all that bad, although not quite as good as the one in the cook book!

Then, on Tuesday night I made enchiladas and they came out dry. Enchiladas take some time to make, so I was pretty disappointed. This week hadn't been my week of being "Super Cook". But Blake still enjoyed them... after he topped them with salsa. Haha.

Thinking about this all now, I feel much better, but at the time I was sad. I have to remind myself that I'm still learning, and it takes time! I have a picture hanging over my sink of my grandma Lehman, who I never really got to know but has inspired me with what she left behind. She is standing in her kitchen licking a spoon, and next to the picture are a couple of recipes from her collection. So when I get frustrated, I look over at her and try to hear her tell me, "It's not the end of the world Kristin Marie. Keep working at it."

So with the help of my husband, that is exactly what I am doing.

Lesson from my working mom

Before you read: Spelling and grammar are a weakness of mine, please try to ignore errors!

As I sit here on the couch I'm looking around at our new apartment. It feels a lot like home now, which is crazy. Here I am, a wife. I'm still in the phase of "Wow! This is really happening to me!". It seems like at any moment I'll wake up and it won't be true, but it is and that is such a comforting feeling. I thought a lot about being a wife before I was married. One time I tried to write down every description the bible has for a wife. (I didn't get it all in case you were wondering). Something that stuck out to me is that all of the women who were described as good wives worked hard for their husbands and for their family. I know a lot of good wives. Some of them go to work outside the home, some have work they do at home. Some have made major sacrifices in order to not have additional jobs, some are blessed with financial stability so that they might live comfortably on their husband's earnings. Either way, all of these women work hard and give all the love and service they can to their families.

Ideally, I'd love to be a stay at home wife some day. (Will not say the M word right now) I love that traditional life style, and I know many working wives and mothers feel the same. My mom has worked outside our home my whole life, and I've learned a lot from her. She was a great mom to me, and though I gave her many rough times through some particular years I love her so much. I'm very thankful for all she has done for me, she went to work for me, and for my daddy. She woke up when it was still dark outside and kept her lamp from burning empty at night as the psalm would say. She still does this. And I know many daughters can say this of their mothers as well.

I wanted to write my first post in respect to my mom. I started this blog to help keep record of my beginnings as a new wife. Also to help keep in touch with my family. I'm an idealist in many ways, and I love looking at my life as an empty scrapbook right now- but I don't want to loose sight of the value I hold on my childhood. I had a wonderful childhood, with a loving mom and daddy, who have sacrificed for me to no end. They taught that there is always time to do anything you want to do, anything you have to do, and anything you are needed to do. And I love them for that.

I was awakened from my blissful couple weeks of wife with limited working hours by the reality of full time job this week, and though I knew it was coming, it still was difficult. So as I sit here and remember the lesson I learned from my mom and daddy I'm encouraged and motivated to make the best of every hour in my day and every day in my week. I know that I can find the time to do anything I want to do, even if 8:30-5:00 is taken. And Blake is there for me in every way, and loves me just the same.

So as I think about this new scrapbook I'm beginning, I know that I'm ready to handle the fact that I can be a good wife and go to work. Thank you to all of the good wives and moms out there who have shown this to me.