Just Keep Swimming

This clip from Finding Nemo would describe how Kyle and I feel right now...we just have to keep swimming when life gets us down. After numerous phone and in-person interviews, I still have no new job and Kyle has taken the written part of his paramedic test three times now without passing. It seems to be a frustrating/hard time with our careers right now. I feel like a broken record now when I text my friends and family about praying for a interview and then having to tell them that I did not get the job.

I just finished my Beth Moore devotional Breaking Free and it has given me lots of encouragement of how not to let Satan make me feel like I'm not good enough or that I will never get a new job {I know it may sound dramatic but most of the time my work is not the most encouraging or most professional environment so sometimes I feel like I will never be able to get out of here}.

Kyle has always had a hard time passing big tests in his life and he knows the material so well from class and is studying all the time at work, but it is hard to pass a test that is designed to make you fail and there are thousands of questions from the test bank so he has never seen two questions the same on the multiple attempts he has taken.

We have been continuing to pray and are holding on to God's word to help us make it through this rough time. We have a great family and friends that are continuing to encourage us and we could not be more thankful for them! One of the things I learned from my Beth Moore devotional is that I need to be wallpapering my mind with scripture so that I can defeat the enemies lies when the come {and they always come lol}. For now we are clinging to the only one who can comfort, encourage, and give us peace about our current career situations.

Hey Good Lookin

I'm not sure when my blog became all about cooking and baking but when I can't do anything outside because of the cold weather I have decided to stick with my goal of making one new thing every week.

I made three cheese pasta which was really good but Kyle said I should have added chicken to go with it, live and learn :) Kyle doesn't think it is a meal without meat and I thought the pasta and cheese were enough to fill me up :)  I also made chicken lasagna roll ups, these did have meat {which made Kyle happy} but the lasagna noodles got hard for some reason.

Now to my favorite things to make...desserts. I made these simple sugar cookies and put them on a paper plate I decorated with ribbon. I also made these delicious brownie and strawberry cake cupcakes, they were so good and super easy. I love it when desserts turn out the way they are suppose to :)

That's all that has been cookin in my kitchen lately!

They can't all be winners

Pinterest has inspired me to cook {well really bake}more. An endless amount of recipes are at my fingertips and I have made it a goal to start trying these recipes instead of carrying them around in a folder.

I made Pink Lemonade Pound Cake. This was a miss, it was really lemony and too sweet for my taste. Some of the problems I ran into were user error, my pan was not the size they recommend using so it spilled over in the oven {good thing I had a tray under the pan just in case :)} and one side was more done then the other....so with a combination of those things, the cake was just not as good as I thought it would be.

Since I knew the Pink Lemonade Cake was not going to work, I needed a back-up plan to take to Kyle's parents house. We had an awesome meal on New Year's Eve and I wanted to take something that looked somewhat presentable :) I made these Strawberry Cream Cheese Croissants. They are good and easy but not my favorite fruity dessert I have made. I will probably not make them again but I'm glad I had an excuse to try them.

It is known around our house that Kyle is the better cook. He can add spices to any dish and make it delicious. I get overwhelmed by all the spices when I see a recipe that I usually stay away and the dishes I make are usually plain. Kyle likes to experiment with cooking and I am a stick-to-the-recipe type of girl. That being said I made Baked Ziti and LOVED it. One of the best things I have made in a long time :) The recipe was simple with not too many ingredients. Whenever I make dinner Kyle will humor me by trying it but this time I knew he liked it because he had leftover {he rarely eats leftovers where I could eat them all the time}.

I can't always make desserts or dinners that will turn out great but that won't stop me from trying new recipes {sorry Kyle} :)

Reflecting

I wanted to look back and reflect on some of the things the Lord has done in our life this year. I am not always good at remembering things and always have to write it down or I will forget. Here are some of the things the Lord has provided for us/has helped us get through when they were really tough and some of the joyful moments he has given us.

-Kyle and I both finished school. I have my Bachelor's and Kyle finished paramedic school
-We celebrated one year of marriage
-I have had 4 interviews for different jobs this past year {no new job yet, but I know the Lord has something great for me} and Kyle is in the interviewing process to work at a fire department he would LOVE to work for.
-Leading YL at Taylor
-Building relationship with our friends at Taylor and having a great team for support
-Taking a much needed vacation to Carolina Beach {Hurricane Irene couldn't keep us away and the Lord made everything work out for us to have a great trip!}
-Getting to spend time with our families
-Kyle and I have learned more about each other, what we want our marriage to be, and things we want to work on {and having sweet reminders of our love along the way}
-Having Bentley provide us with constant entertainment and to keep us working on our patience :)
-Clinging to God's word when times have felt hard and overwhelming

Here is the verse we are taking into 2012:

Psalm 111:7 "The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy"

Merry Christmas

Have a Merry Christmas! We are going to be filled to the brim with joy celebrating our Saviors' birth and a spending time with some of the people we love the most :)

Keeping with the Tradition

One of Kyle's favorite memories is cutting down a Christmas tree and then watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation {and quoting the entire movie} with his family. This year the weather did not allow us to go with Kyle's entire family {dang the rain}, so we decided to wait another week and get our Christmas tree last weekend. We took Bentley along for his first Christmas tree experience...let's just say he loved it and it was really fun to take him along.

Bentley was too excited to sit for a photo

On our way to get the tree

This picture is priceless...Bentley was taking it all in :)

Here is the winner :)

Kenny says it best

Have you heard this song? Kenny Chesney is singing what I want for Christmas {if money was not a factor}. I would love to go to a tropical location when the weather here is snowy, cold, and bitter. "I looove the sun" {that was for you Leah} and not having pale white skin is a plus too :) . Since a beach vacation will not be happening this year, I will just have to listen to this song and imagine I am at the beach :)

{source}

"Take me to the Islands put my feet in the sand,

rockin' to and fro with the rhythm of the ocean,
singin Silent Night with the palm trees ablowin'.."