The Good News and the Bad

So, a few weeks ago I was going to announce that I was pregnant. And that I was going to have a little baby Dietz in December.

But last week I had a miscarriage. Honestly, it was scary. I ended up having a D&C, which I think is better than miscarrying at home, BUT I was terrified of anesthesia. Everything went ok though, and I'm now fully recovered physically - still working on and praying for a healed heart.

This past weekend was mothers' day. It was so bittersweet. I now have two children in heaven, and I have one puppy here on earth.

My memory verse for the first half of May came to me during all of this mess. I got an incredible card from a volunteer at the bookstore, and she had written the following:

I will answer them before they even call to me.
      While they are still talking about their needs,
      I will go ahead and answer their prayers!

Isaiah 65:24

How amazing is that promise!!! I'm not 'mad' at God or running from him by any means, but I've just not known what to pray. This verse really spoke to my heart and my need during this time. How amazing that he sent it to me in a greeting card! :)

Blogging

Life has been crazy hectic as of late. Hence, my absense.

We also have some big news that I can't share until next week. It's been hard to keep my mouth shut, so I've been steering clear of blogging. Sorry!

In the meantime though, you should check out my friend's blog: http://obringerfamily.blogspot.com/. Her recent post was just the push I needed to really invest in a new friend's life. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. Why is making new friends so nerve-racking at times?

Drumroll Please....

I chose to paint our front door black!

Tomorrow is the big day. I'll be sure to take pictures when it's done.

Remarkable Savings at Randalls

I recently read an article about saving money by shopping the sales circulars rather than using coupons. (Coupons would of course save us even more money, but I'm just really sick of clipping coupons at the moment.)

So, David and I shopped the circulars this week, and we found that Randalls had the best deals for the foods we buy. We spend $87, and we saved more than $33. Not bad!


Then, when we got in the car, I glanced down at the coupon that had printed out at the register. It's a $10 coupon off my next grocery purchase of $10 or more!!!!

All I can say is "not too shabby."

Black or Red?

I recently received approval from our landlord to paint our front door. It's currently unpainted "primer white."

Can you help me decide on a color? I'm leaning towards black or red. Which do you like better?

Or should I go with turquoise? I can't decide!

Water Matters

Our water bill was paid by the HOA in our townhouse complex. So, naturally, we used exorbitant amounts of water. We left the water running all the time - especially when brushing our teeth, doing dishes and waiting for the hot water in order to shower. It was ridiculous.

I didn't realize how bad it was until we received our water bill last month. With just the two of us (and Rose!) we spent $43 on WATER (sewer & trash too)!! CRAZY!

So, this past month we tried to cut back, and I'm pretty excited because we got our water bill today. It was only $19!!!

Phew!

Our Home

Living in a house is so much more work than a townhouse! We even have 400 less square feet, but it definitely takes longer to clean. We have to mow the lawn now that it's getting warmer, too.

I wouldn't trade it for the world though. I LOVE living in our home! There's so much light, no stairs, less toilets to clean and it feels like a home - even though it's not ours.

Do you live in a house? Apartment? Townhouse? What do you love about it??

Prayer

There was a lady today who was terribly distraught. I cannot get her out of my mind. I don't know her name, but I grieve with her. She lost a friend. Please pray she would be comforted and find peace in the Spirit.

Waiting

We are all waiting for something. Very rarely are we completely content with things. There's always something we desire, and we think "if only I had ____..."

When we're teenagers it's college.
When we're graduating college it's a job.
When we're single its marriage.
And when we're married it's children.

I have that desire - the one for children. I often think about how much I want a family.

A few days ago I realized I have a family. It's a family of two.

David and I were talking about how we can't wait for God to bless us (with children).

I realized we are blessed. We don't have children, but God has not forgotten us. We've been blessed in more ways that we could have ever dared to desire.

I'm done waiting. I'm ready to live.

Job 23:10

But he knows where I am going.
And when he tests me, I will come out as pure gold.

Laughter in Life

Some things are funny no matter how old you are!

Example: Tooting

Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers

We had this for dinner today, and we both thought it was amazing! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 large poblano peppers
taco seasoning
garlic powder
chili powder
6 frozen chicken tenderloins (I used Kroger brand)
4 oz. cream cheese
2/3 cup shredded cheddar & monterrey jack cheese
ranch dressing

Directions:
1. Cook chicken

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Place chicken tenderloins in oven safe dish. Top with taco seasoning to taste & cover dish with foil.
• Cook chicken at 375 for 40 minutes.

2. Prepare & roast peppers

• Slit open poblano peppers and remove seeds.
• Broil peppers in oven until browning. Rotate every 4 minutes.
• Let peppers sit until they are no longer too hot to touch.

3. Stuff and bake peppers

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Shred chicken in microwavable bowl.
• Add cream cheese.
• Microwave for 20 seconds and blend together.
• Add shredded cheese, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 Tbsp chili powder to mixture.
• Stuff peppers with prepared mixture.
• Bake stuffed peppers for 13 minutes on 400 degrees.

Serve with ranch dressing.

Kitchen Adventures: Kale Chips

I made this recipe today, or at least I tried.

They would've been good if I hadn't dropped the cookie sheet on the oven door.

Or if I hadn't dumped all the chips in the bottom of the oven.

Or if I hadn't over salted them.

Now I'm thinking I should have taken a picture. Instead I sat down on the floor and called my very sweet husband. We laughed; I cried. Then, I took a spatula and removed the burning pieces of kale from the bottom of the oven.

Our Bedroom is Finished!

David and I lived in a townhouse for the first 1.5 years of our marriage. We moved into our current home last Thanksgiving. So, our first bedroom as a married couple was in the townhouse.

It was a large, awkward space. The furniture we used was David's from before we were married. It was nice, but not my style at all. There was only one side table, and the set was extremely traditional. Every time I walked into the room I cringed. It really wasn't my favorite space in our home.

So, when we moved to our new house a couple months back, we wanted to redecorate our bedroom. It really needed to happen, and we're so excited to share the results with you! Enjoy!

We bought a few new things for the room, so I'm going to list the sources below.

1. Ikat Curtains - West Elm
2. Curtain Rod - Target
3. Headboard - Star Clearance Outlet (@ I45 & FM1960)
4. Shag Rug - Ikea
5. Bedskirt - Bed, Bath & Beyond
6. Sconces - Home Depot
7. Side Tables - Ikea (Malm Collection)
8. Dog Bed - Homegoods
9. Basket - Hobby Lobby

Everything else we already had on hand. The throw pillows came with our couches, the sheets and comforter we got in 2009 from Target, and the decorations we've had for awhile. My favorite item (and our biggest splurge) are the curtain panels, but I truly believe they define the room!

Do you see the framed calligraphy on the left side table? I gave that to David for our first anniversary. It's our vows written in calligraphy. I think it looks great in the room!

All in all, I'm incredibly excited to be finished with this project! Every time I walk into the room I smile. It reflects who we are and both of our individual styles!

Weekends of Purging

Last weekend we cleaned out our bedroom, and it was so refreshing! We donated about 147,872,967 pieces of clothing, and we even sorted through our plastic bins of wires! (My husband graduated from the Texas A&M College of Engineering, therefore we have 8000 wires in plastic bins under our bed.) He donated more than half of the wires, bringing our wire bin count to 1. Yes, ONE!

I was excited.

This weekend we're tackling our guestroom. Currently, it's an absolute disaster. There are probably 5 boxes full of crafty things I've been saving for a rainy day. So, this weekend it's my turn to purge the things I love. If I haven't touched it in a year, seen it in 6 months, or didn't know I had it, then it's going to Goodwill!

We are also going to hang curtains in our bedroom, install the new sconces we bought for beside our bed and hopefully pick up some bedside tables. I can't wait to be done unpacking/setting up our home!

Temperature Matters

What do most couples fight about?

If you answered money, then you're probably right. However, we aren't a typical couple.

We have our biggest fights over the thermostat.

What do you fight about?

Grammar for Family Names

When I'm signing something for David and I, I write "Love, The Dietzes." I wasn't 100% sure that was correct until today!

Taken from Plural Noun Forms:

When a family name (a proper noun) is pluralized, we almost always simply add an "s." So we go to visit the Smiths, the Kennedys, the Grays, etc.When a family name ends in s, x, ch, sh, or z, however, we form the plural by added -es, as in the Marches, the Joneses, the Maddoxes, the Bushes, the Rodriguezes. Do not form a family name plural by using an apostrophe; that device is reserved for creating possessive forms.

When a proper noun ends in an "s" with a hard "z" sound, we don't add any ending to form the plural: "The Chambers are coming to dinner" (not the Chamberses); "The Hodges used to live here" (not the Hodgeses). There are exceptions even to this: we say "The Joneses are coming over," and we'd probably write "The Stevenses are coming, too." A modest proposal: women whose last names end in "s" (pronounced "z") should marry and take the names of men whose last names do not end with that sound, and eventually this problem will disappear.

One More Thing

I forgot - Rose also knows "shake" and "high five!"

She also rings bells on the door to let us know when she has to go potty. She's definitely one smart cookie!

Rose's Update: 7 Months

Here are all the things Rose knows at 7 months:

1. Come
2. Back up
3. Sit
4. Lay down
5. Stay/OK
6. Down
7. Go to your bed
8. Go to your house (her crate)
9. My turn
10. Go potty outside
11. Get your toy
12. Go get it/Fetch
13. Go to/Go get Mommy/Daddy
14. Daddy's home (She looks at the front door every time I say this!)

She really hates laying down on command. I have to tell her 3-4 times before she'll actually do it, but she knows how to do it.

Her favorite game is fetch, and she loves running around in our backyard. I wish we had moved to this house sooner. She loves it!

Siesta Scripture Memory Team

My friend Karen asked me to participated in Beth Moore's Siesta Scripture Memory Team (SSMT) this year. Each month I will memorize two scriptures for a total of 24 for 2011!!! Before we began on Jan. 1, I thought about the scriptures I knew by heart. I could literally count them on one hand. So, this challenge is two-fold: (1) Memorize scripture and hide it in my heart (2) Get better at memorizing things.

So far I've memorized Matthew 11:28-30. Here it is (from memory):

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

The next three scriptures I aim to memorize are Matthew 5:10-12.

I'll keep you updated on how the memorization is going. Also, if you're doing SSMT, then let me know!