Thankful

Have I ever expressed how much I love Thanksgiving? I really REALLY LOVE IT! Not because of the turkey- I actually would prefer a lot of other foods to turkey... Not because of the stuffing or the green bean casserole or even the pumpkin and french silk pies (GASP!). I love that, at Thanksgiving, anyone and everyone gathers around and shares in the awareness of all that we are blessed with in life. There are so SO many things that each of us have or receive that we could spend literally hours on end talking about them and being grateful. And the THINGS are really so insignificant in comparison to the PEOPLE and the relationships that we are blessed with throughout our lives. And the promise that we will always be satisfied in our Lord- is there enough thankfulness to even begin to cover that?

This year my Thanksgiving break was spent with two of my favorite groups of people. Trey and I ventured down to Yankton on Thursday to spend the day with his family. We were supposed to bring cheesy potatoes and I (or my Crockpot) somehow managed to ruin those... Luckily for us, the turkey wasn't done on time; we made some impromptu mashed potatoes upon arrival and everything was fine (WHOOFTA!). We got to sit around the table with the family and tell fun stories and reminisce on holidays of the past. Eventually, after the table was cleared and dishes were done, everyone made it to their respective sleeping spaces to take naps. When we all were up again some more quality time was spent in conversation while we sat on the couches in the upstairs family room before we had to head back to Sioux Falls for the night. It was a GOOD day. 

Friday morning we hit the road by 6:15 to head for Elk River. Trey and I traded off driving and napping on the way up, so the lack of sleep didn't seem so bad by the time we actually arrived. My family's second Thanksgiving was on Saturday. We got up early to stand outside by the trashcan (which is where dad cooks the turkey), with hoods up and coffee mugs in hand (not necessarily with coffee in them...). A hilarious home video was shared, along with some other comical YouTube videos, while the final touches of the meal were prepared by all. Gourds of all shapes, colors and sizes held name tags on the table for each person to know their chair. After the meal a card game commenced, with many comical moments throughout. Getting to enjoy food, games and much needed conversation with family is such a blessing in my life. The rest of the evening was spent playing games/watching movies with my nephew and returning to the table for another round of cards. To top it all off, I got to snuggle with Trey on the couch while we watched Dexter with the family. Perfect.

I like the definition of "thankful." 

thank·ful

1. Aware and appreciative of a benefit; grateful.

2. Expressive of gratitude: a thankful smile.

I like that the word aware is there. Because I think, too often, we do not spend time being aware of what we have, so we forget to be thankful for it. I guess, the way I interpret it, to increase our thankfulness throughout the year, we should increase our awareness. And then I love how the second definition includes expressive. We should not hide that we are grateful for life's blessings. We should share it in outward expression that we have been blessed beyond what we deserve. The fact that we know that we have the greatest blessing of all, the unwavering love and forgiveness of our God, is more than enough reason to give "a thankful smile." We should dance and sing and shout in gratefulness of all that we are given, not only this past week that surrounds Thanksgiving day, but always.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend filled with celebration and reflection on all of your blessings. 

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." Psalm 107: 8-9

.hme.

What a difference a year makes...

One year ago, I started this blog. Well actually, one year and 15 days ago, but who's counting? (Me apparently)

When I started it I didn't really know what I would do with it, and to be honest, I still don't know what I will do with it. In the last year I have posted on many different topics, and I am sure in the next year, I will post on a variety of new ones, and some of the same.

 

In the last year I have done so many exciting things. Some new and some following old traditions. Here's to this year, and all of the exciting things that are waiting for us to experience them! :)

 

Here are a few photos from the last 3 months:

 

Attended a wedding of some dear friends.

"Lady finger," coffee, and fruit breakfast at Mom and Dad's.

Tore down parts of our "new" house.

Became an official resident of SD.

Ate too much at Buffalo Wild Wings. (x10)

 

{Insert another wedding photo here; unable to upload at the moment}

 

Tried to beat the heat with large iced coffees.

Bought more insulation than necessary.

Attended another perfect wedding of best friends.

Found lots of glass jars and bottles in the woods.

 

 

I know I have been holding out on you with the wedding day post, but I promise it is coming, and hopefully it will be perfect. There's just so much to make sure to include! Happy Sunday!

Enjoying It

In a mere thirteen days I will be a Mrs. and I like that. A lot.

I absolutely should not be writing a blog right now. I should be sleeping. Or, at least if I'm not sleeping, I should be working on wedding things. But I am fooling myself into believing that it doesn't need to be done tonight... whatever "it" is. I'm ready for the wedding to be here. I am ready to post a blog showing you all some awesome pictures of all of the things that have been made by my parents, Trey and myself. It has been awesome DIY-ing so many things, and I am SO grateful for my parents (and Trey's) willingness to help with everything! Getting married at my parents house, at the place I grew up, is such an awesome thing. I know that I took it all for granted as I was actually growing up, but now, now I truly appreciate every little thing about this place.

There are so many simple, lovely memories that come back to me every time I stroll through the yard: rolling and sledding down the hill back by the pond, which apparently is not all that big... playing baseball/soccer/football in the yard in front of the barn... playing countless games of horse/1on1/2on2 in the driveway... swinging on the swings just to get to the highest point so we could jump off on the count of three... getting "under-dogs" on the tire swing and quitting when my brothers would start to spin me so much and so fast that I thought I would die... hunting Easter eggs... riding horses... playing in the sand box... running through the sprinklers... building snowman families and igloos... skating on the pond... raking all of the leaves into one huge pile so we could jump in them just to realize that no matter how many leaves we put in one pile, the ground under them was still very much solid and painful... following mom from garden to garden pretending to help weed but having no idea what a weed was in comparison to a potentially gorgeous flower (sorry mom, for probably pulling out a whole lot of your flowers)... playing fetch with the dogs... lining the cars up for our own car washes... asking dad to help me fix/build something and standing next to him while he did it... I enjoyed it.

And inside the house has it's own endless list of vivid, beautiful memories: playing dress-up with the daycare kids (even the boys)... racing matchbox cars down a ramp and fighting to get the fastest car... building all sorts of unrecognizable things out of Legos... coloring in coloring books at the table and always being the last one to get bored with it... helping mom make snack... playing dolls and barbies in my room, often by myself, simply changing their clothes and putting them away... playing cards and board games... Christmas time when the living room gets filled with Tuperware bins FULL of holiday decor... dying Easter eggs... sliding down the stairs in sleeping bags... building blanket forts... Friday night pizza on a blanket in the living room watching TGIF... the smell of mom's caramel rolls fresh from the oven... hearing the cuckoo clock every 15 minutes... dad waking me up and making me put my feet on the floor before he would leave my room... playing Monopoly until everyone was mad at everyone so we were told it was time to stop, at which point we were all ready to quit anyway... dinner conversations... praying with  my parents before I went to sleep...  I enjoyed it.

This place is what I know. It is everything I grew up knowing to be a home. Until I moved out to go to college, I didn't know people lived any differently. I had a blessed childhood and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I continue to have a blessed life and I am enjoying it now as well. In the next two weeks, I know I will become overwhelmed at different points by the details of our wedding day and I know it will be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the rainbow after the storm, the prize at the finish line. But, when all is said and done, I will enjoy the day. Yes, I want it to be gorgeous. I want it to be fun. I want it to be perfect. But really, that's not what's important. I will spend my last moments as a Downing in the place I spent all of my firsts, and, come the end of the day, I will be married to my best friend and I will be an Erickson. I have been reminded by many people to, "enjoy it; it all goes by so fast." And so, that is what I plan to do. 

I will enjoy getting ready in the house I got ready in for so many years. I will enjoy taking too many pictures to count in the yard I played in so many days. I will enjoy sharing the day with our closest friends and family. I will enjoy praising the Lord, through it all, and spending time in worship. I will enjoy all of the hard work we put in to make the day happen. I will enjoy my Trey, my best friend, my HUSBAND, because I love him. Whatever the Lord blesses me with, not only on June 23rd, but always, I will do my best to enjoy it. 

-Han

Only 66 to go...

Why am I blogging with 66 days till I am a wife? Well, because.

Because I am so beyond excited to be marrying my best friend.

Because there is SO much left to finalize, I couldn't even tell you where I'll start.

Because I have been thinking about all of the wonderful people who are preparing to make my wedding day so incredibly special.

Because I am getting married. And I'm allowed to blog about it.

How cool is it that I am getting married?!?!!

I hope you all have had a good Wednesday.

hannahtrey.ourwedding.com

Baked Parmesan Chicken Rigatoni

Tonight for dinner, I made something simply delicious. Trey came home just as it was about to be thrown in the oven, and was pretty excited when it was finally done. Neither of us were left disappointed.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Chicken Breast
• 1 Cup Bread Crumbs
• 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 Cup Milk
• 2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Jar (24 oz.) Spaghetti Sauce
• 1 Box (18 oz.) Rigatoni
• 1/2 Cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese

 

Method

• Mix bread crumbs, parm. 1/4C. parmesan, garlic powder, and pepper in a small bowl.
• In a separate bowl mix the egg and milk.
• Cut the chicken into cubes (sized to your preference).
• Dip the chicken in the egg-milk mixture and then roll in the bread crumb mixture. Try to fully coat the chicken.
• Heat olive oil in a pan. Once hot, fry chicken in pan until browned, about 4 minutes/side.
• As the chicken cooks, boil pasta until fully cooked.
• Once chicken is done, place on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
• Once pasta is done, drain out the water and pour into a greased pan. (9x14)
• Pour spaghetti sauce over pasta.
• Sprinkle with 1/2 C. parmesan cheese.
• Place chicken in a single layer over the pasta/sauce/parm.
• Cover with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes.

A Tuesday Afternoon

Due to the crazy heat wave that is running through Sioux Falls right now, I (apparently) felt it was necessary to go buy cookie dough and 3 things of Ben & Jerry's ice cream...

Can you say, "Over-spending on unnecessary items?" Whoops! 

On a lighter note... (lighter in oz. and in calories)

Trey and I went rollerblading this afternoon. 

As always, I took a few pictures along the way. And Trey cooperated (better than normal even). Unfortunately, the pictures of the scenery are not blog-worthy. So here are some of us. ;)

You should know, the heart was Trey's idea. :)

There are many post-worthy things that have happened in the last few weeks, so expect some more blog entries coming soon.

Hope you're all enjoying the beginning of Spring wherever you are. 

.h.m.d.

A dream job...

Today I got to spend a lot of time being creative.
At work, I was asked to write some Dr. Seuss quotes on paper. I know to some this may sound like busy work, but I love to doodle letters. So for me, this was a reward. Then I got to cut the quote out in the shape of a cloud. More creativity.
Then I got to write a bunch of students' names and grades and other boring information on the top of their state tests. Lame, right? Not for me. Because, regardless of what it is, I like to write.
Then I got to come home and make dinner. Another thing I love to do is to cook. I think that creating a meal is just as exciting as creating a masterpiece on a canvas.
I had planned on making a delicious new dessert, but didn't get to it.
Instead I got to write some more. I addressed a few more special somethings that will (hopefully) be out of my sight in a few short days. But that, although redundant, was also enjoyable for me.

So, as I try to figure out what I want to do (from a professional standpoint) "when I grow up," I have decided that some creativity is a MUST in my everyday workplace. I suppose no matter what I end up doing my creative side follows me there, but I want a job that REQUIRES it. So I get to have days like today everyday...

dream on...

-hannahmarie

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

I made an easy, fast meal last week and I wanted to share it! Unfortunately, I did not take any of my own pictures of the delectable soup, but it really was fabulous!

I used a recipe from Tasty Kitchen as a guide, but I made a few modifications along the way simply because I like to make things my own. Below is my recipe, or you can follow any of these links to the original recipe. Either way, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

INGREDIENTS
2 whole Large Cloves Of Garlic Minced

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 cans 10 3/4 Oz Cans Of Condensed Tomato Soup
1 cup Milk
2 cups non-fat Half-and-half
2 cups Vegetable Stock
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
½ teaspoons Pepper
1 whole 9 Oz Package Of Cheese Filled Tortellini
1 teaspoon Red Crushed Peppers
½ cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese

METHOD
Saute garlic in the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until just golden brown.
Add the tomato soup, milk, half-and-half, veg. stock and spices.
Bring to a simmer.
Add the pasta and allow it to fully cook (7-10 minutes).
Remove from heat and serve.

We had ours with some garlic bread and salad and it made for the perfect, light, wintery meal!

Happy cooking!

Recipe adapted from tastykitchen.com.

61 years

As I plan and prepare for my own wedding, I continue to think about how marriages and weddings were back when my parents got married. Or even when my grandparents got married.

This article was published in the Elk River paper today. It is a wonderful story about my grandparents Orie and Nellie. If you like love even a little bit, you should read it. 

They're beautiful, aren't they?

I love my family. God is great.

Baby Onesies

 On Wednesday, our staff had a little baby shower after school. Casey works with us and he became a dad on  November 30, 2011. So, for a shower gift, I decided to add a little personal touch to some onesies for little Sawyer. He is a sweet little boy. 

Back to the shirts- there are all kinds of tutorials online, so I'll spare you all the little details. Basically, I ironed on the adhesive to the material, cut out the designs, took off the paper backing, ironed the design onto the onesie and then I sewed them on. Easy enough. And because I am such a procrastinator, it was great that it didn't take much time at all! Trey thinks I need to open up an Etsy shop selling these- we'll see...

 It was good to get back to my sewing machine. I haven't used it for way too long! After completing these simple little things, though, I am inspired to do some more creating. 

On top of this fun creating, I have been doodling out ideas for save the dates, planning a wedding ceremony and reception, looking for bridesmaid dresses, looking for groom and groomsmen suits, searching for wholesale flowers in the right colors, and battling a gross illness. Hopefully the illness goes away soon. The rest is all very exciting! Hooray for wedding planning!

Hope you all have had a wonderful week!

Caramel Rolls

Every holiday season, there is one item that is guaranteed on the menu. Mom's caramel rolls! We wake up on Christmas day, take pictures on the steps, and grab some warm gooy caramel rolls from the kitchen (sometimes even before we dive into presents, they're really that good!).

So, here is the absolutely delicious and simple recipe for my mom's caramel rolls! ENJOY!

36 frozen Rhodes White Dinner Rolls

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 large packet of  Jello Cook & Serve Vanilla Pudding

1/2 cup Butter

2 Tbs Milk

Cinnamon to taste

THE NIGHT BEFORE:

Allow the rolls to thaw for a bit to make cutting them easier.

Quarter 18 rolls, toss into a greased 9x13 baking pan.

Melt butter in a pan on the stove.

Once completely melted, add the pudding, brown sugar, milk and cinnamon.

Mix well.

Pour mixture evenly over the rolls in the bottom of the pan.

Quarter the remaining 18 rolls and toss them on top.

Spray plastic wrap with pam, cover the rolls, and place in the refridgerator over night.

IN THE MORNING:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Once they're done, flip the baking pan over onto a cookie sheet to make the bottom become the top.

Serve warm.

 

YUM!

 

We just made these. I ate a large helping. They were wonderful, as they always are.

If we can't ice skate...

...we'll rollerblade!

As much as I absolutely love winter and snow and everything that comes with it (even scraping my windsheild), I was very excited on Wednesday after work when it was nearly 60 degrees in good ole Sioux Falls.

Trey had a meeting after school, so I went to his apartment to wait (im)patiently for him to come home. As soon as he arrived, he changed into sweats, we threw on our blades and we were off!

We rollerbladed to "our place" TC's Referee, had some food- salad and fries for me, salad and wings for him- and we were back to the pavement to make the trip back home.

Happy New Year!

Every year, people come up with countless resolutions in an attempt to make the following year significantly better than the last. My question is, why do we have to wait for January 1st to "make this one count?"
How many people can honestly say that they are disciplined enough to make it 365 days without either 1. messing up, b. changing their mind, or III. forgetting their resolution altogether?

This being said, I resolve to wake up and attempt to make each day more enjoyable than the last.
Make each moment of each day count.

To live for the Lord.
To love everyone without holding back. 

Happy 2012 to you and all of your loved ones! I hope that your 2012 proves to be full of wonderful things that cause you to be humbled, grateful, and joyful for the life that has been given to us all.
Good luck carrying out your resolutions.
God bless!

My true love gave to me...

In an attempt to spread holiday cheer, or at least make myself feel more like Christmas was approaching, I suggested to Trey that we celebrate 12 days of Christmas. We agreed that it would be something fun for the two of us to do and depending upon how it turned out, maybe it would become a tradition. So the first four days were pretty fun, giving and receiving little gifts proved to be a good idea. Come the fifth day, Trey had a brilliant idea.
*cue oohs and ahhs* 

After we met at church to set up chairs, the two of us grabbed some coffee, bought a Christmas tree, and headed back to Trey's apartment to make some pancakes. 

When we arrived, Trey asked if I would like my gift; please note, I am NOT a morning person and it was still only 8:45am. So, I obliged and waited outside of his bedroom doorway sipping on my coffee and playing with my phone. Trey came out with a jewelry box containing a ring pop. I smiled, thought he was cute, thanked him and went back to being distracted and tired. He told me to wait, there was more, to which I responded, "don't give me more than one present today. Save it for a different day." He ignored me. Trey came back out with another ring pop in another jewelry box (this time unwrapped). Once again I smiled and thought he was super clever for putting them in ring boxes. 

*side note* Earlier in the week Trey told me I needed to be fitted for a ring pop. I told him I was unaware that they made fitted ring pops now-a-days, but he assured me that they indeed do. 

Once again, I was told to wait, there was more. I set the two ring pops on the counter behind me and waited for Trey to come out with the third present. He came back with yet another jewelry box containing yet another unwrapped ring pop to which I questioned why he had unwrapped two of them, because I wouldn't be able to save them for weeks like I do with my Halloween candy. Trey gave me a much deserved eye-roll, and returned to his room to fetch a fourth ring pop (unwrapped and in a jewelry box).

As I stood there smiling at him thinking I was lucky to have such a sweet man, he asked, "How many is that?"

"Uh... four. How many are there?" 

Trey once again retreated to his room. I went over to the counter to put down the fourth ring pop and began thinking that he, being the thrifty person he is, must have gotten some sort of sweet deal on multiple ring pops while he was getting one of my other presents. But he hadn't. 

I know as an outsider to the story, it is completely obvious what is coming next. But trust me, if you were there, you really wouldn't have seen it coming (also, please recall the "NOT a morning person" statement earlier). Especially not with Trey, because he is always goofy and creative like this. I thought it was just him being funny by putting them all in jewelry boxes because of our earlier conversation of ring pop sizing. 

So, out he came, a fifth and final time, dropped to one knee and...

"Will you marry me, Hannah?"

"Mmhmm."

Every inch of me wanted to shout "YES!! YES, I'LL MARRY YOU!!!!" But I didn't. I just said, "mmhmm." Then, I awkwardly tried to hug him while he was still on one knee, expecting him to stand up and he remained on one knee holding the ring wondering if I even wanted the ring or if I hated it. 

It was perfect.

   

     

So, on the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, four ring pops and a gorgeous diamond ring. 

*cue trumpets*

Yes, we took a cheesy engagement day picture, hand on chest and all. ;) 

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas time with family and friends! 

So excited to begin blogging again! Check back soon for fun holiday crafts to put on your to-do list for next year! 

love

Prompt: Thank the Lord for His love.

As I prepared to write this blog entry, I sat and pondered which Bible verse on love I should use. There are so many. His love is the only reason we are here. The verse I think sets such a perfect example, not only of His love for us but also the love we should have for one another, is 1 John 4:10-12.

"In this love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us."

Thank You, Lord, for Your perfect, unconditional, everlasting love. Thank You for teaching us to love one another without fear. I am thankful that because of the love that I feel from my Father in Heaven, I am able to love some who others do not see as deserving of love. I am thankful that I am surrounded by so many who love me back.

(un)expectations

Prompt: Thank Him for the unexpected.

We all have plans, ideal living conditions, ideal jobs, ideal families, ect. And our God does often put these plans and thoughts in our minds and on our hearts and if it is His, He will make it happen for us. There are also many things in our lives that are not quite according to our personal plans.
I had expectations for myself that I thought were simply going to come to be. I had plans for my life that I didn't see changing or going any other way. Man, was I off. I am not going to lie and say that I was content with things while they were going awry, but looking at my life the way it is right now, in this moment, I am very happy with where He has me.
Thank you, God, for the things that have happened and the surprises that are yet to come. I am thankful that the Lord is a much better, much more committed planner than I am and that no matter what happens, He is in control. I am thankful that He has blessed me with all of my wonderful people; all of those who help me to grow and to love deeper. Thank You so much, Father, for exceeding my expectations with things I would have never come up with myself. Thank you for seeing the big picture and knowing what is best all along. Thank you, for the unexpected.

Forgiven

Prompt: Thank Him for forgiveness.

I am thankful for the forgiveness that we have recieved through the Son of God. Without it, we would all be punished to death for our sins. Luke 6:36-37 tells us to learn from our God, "be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged;condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven..." I am thankful that not only are we forgiven by fellow humans, but that the Creator of the Universe is even willing to forgive us when we have wronged Him.

Thank you, God, for your unending, unconditional forgiveness. Thank You for loving us so much that You are willing to take us back time after time, no matter what the circumstances are, and continue to love us as Yours.

"Then Peter came us and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin againsly me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven."
-Matthew 18:21-22

The Word

Prompt: Be thankful for His Word.


I am thankful for the Bible. Without it our knowledge as Christians would be tainted by word-of-mouth claims of what it means to be a follower of God. I am so thankful that after a long day, this book is waiting for me, ready to help build my faith and ease my mind. It is so wonderful to have the opportunity to read about what early Christians experienced and what the world was like before Jesus came and saved us. The comprehension that our Father loves us no matter what would not be the way it is today without the Bible.
Thank you, Lord, for giving us a book that teaches us about the most important subject there is. Thank you for always helping us to dig deeper and to always happen to turn to the right page on any given day. I thank you for Bible studies which build not only my relationship with other believers, but also my relationship with you. Without your word, being a Christian would be much more difficult.

Daily Bread (and more)

I participated in a Bible study last year and we took some time to dissect the Lord's Prayer. It was quite interesting looking at each individual part of the prayer and deciphering the true meaning behind the words that we pray so routinely. As all who have ever said the Lord's Prayer know, "give us this day our daily bread" is a part of that prayer. Honestly, I used to thing this simply meant we were asking the Lord to feed us. But if you look back to when Jesus broke the bread and told his followers to take and eat it because it was His body... Jesus gave us His body. Throughout His life and to the very last breath, He was devoted to His Father and determined to save us from the eternal hell that we were preparing for ourselves.

So today, I am thankful for the bread of life. I am thankful for all of the food in my fridge and my pantry. I am thankful for the fellowship that is provided for me in the places I go. I am thankful for His word that helps me through the though times and makes me mindful in the easy ones. Thank you, Lord, for the life you provide and sustain for me. 

Kindness

Prompt: Thank God for His kindness.

According to the Lord Himself, our existence can be attributed to His loving kindness. Jeremiah 31:3 states "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness..." Love and kindness are beyond enough as it is. But God loved us with everlasting love and created us with unfailing kindness. His kindness leads us to Him and saves us from the grave. 

Thank you, Lord. For being kind enough to create me, for being kind enough to love me, for being kind enough to forgive me and for being kind enough to save me.