Ready, Set, Go!

Not in an attempt to be like everyone else in the world who has their list of resolutions, but rather in an attempt to better myself through self-discipline, setting attainable goals, and challenging myself in areas of struggle, I have made a list for 2012. This list is not based on what others can attain, for if I did that I would be setting myself up for deep failure. This list is of things that I can do in the next 365 days of my life (Lord willing). So here we go!

1. Read three books. (For all of you twilight-ers, harry potter fanatics, and whatever the heck hunger games is... yes I set my goal at three books for the next year.)

2. Work out weekly. (To say a specific amount of time I should work out weekly would indeed set myself up for failure do to a very busy schedule... leaving the goal at weekly is best.)

3. Run my first 5K. (This should be the result of #2, I am sure the amount of time I work out will increase as the 5K nears.)

4. Start college. (I plan of starting Richland College this semester... excited? Yeah!)

5. Learn healthy recipes/cooking techniques. (Being a wife, it is part of my responsibilities to make tasty and healthy meals for our family.)

6. Read 3/5 in the Word. (For all you CFNI-er's out there you know what I am talking about. Basically, its 3 chapters a day and 5 on Sundays... you can read through the Word in a year by doing this, and it helps you build self-discipline in reading the Word, period.)

7. Clean out all stress and anxiety in my life. (This is easier said than done for someone like me, but learning how to deal with the spiritual matters of stress and anxiety, and knowing that the Lord never intended on me having that is very freeing.)

8. Do something with my "sock" idea. (This one is and will remain a secret until further notice.)

9. Visit Buckner for the first time and explore how to get involved. (For those of you who aren't familiar with Buckner, it is an adoption agency here in Dallas which is also involved in missions all over the world. Working for Buckner would be my dream job.)

10. Pray specifically. (I thought it would be a cool idea if we prayed for specific things throughout 2012 that we wanted to see come to pass, whether that means seeing salvations, relationships built, or even global concerns.)

Well that's it... that's my list. I am excited to get started in the new year, aka: tomorrow. I pray all that the Lord has for you in 2012 comes to pass and that you find all the joy and peace that is rightfully yours.

Brandi

Our Merry Little Christmas

Now that the holiday festivities have slowed down, I get the chance to post a little about our first Christmas as a married couple. We got to first spend the 23rd with my family in Fort Worth. We spent time playing with games, looking at Christmas lights, and exchanging gifts with my cousins and relatives.

My sister Brittany and me

We then spent Christmas Eve with my parents and went to our Christmas Eve service together at our church in Rowlett. Brett played piano for the service. It was nice to spend our first Christmas Eve away from our hometown with my parents there. After dinner, we said goodbye to my parents and went home (our home) to spend our first Christmas together, just the two of us. We kept up family traditions by watching "It's a Wonderful Life", made chocolate covered pretzels, and camped out in the living room watching "A Christmas Story" all night. Come 7 AM, we were wide awake ready for Christmas morning to begin. I made biscuits and gravy (and hope to make that a tradition every Christmas morning), and Brett and I exchanged our gifts with each other. AND of course we had to take our Christmas PJ picture in front of our tree. 

After exchanging gifts, we made the trip back to East Texas to see Brett's family. We were utterly blessed by everyone we encountered, and I feel so blessed to of had such a wonderful first Christmas. I hope you, too, had a blessed holiday season. Merry Christmas! 

Recent Recipes

Through Pinterest, friends, and family traditions, I have gotten to try recipe after recipe and wanted to share some of my latest recipe successes! I hope you enjoy!

Pepperoni Stromboli

1 can of Pillsbury Italian bread dough

1 package of pepperoni 

2 cups of Italian blend cheese

1 egg

1 jar Marinara sauce

**you can add extras like different meats or veggies, we used jalepinos.

1.  roll out bread dough

2. brush dough with beaten egg

3. sprinkle pepperoni

4. sprinkle cheese

5. add extras (we used jalepinos on half of it)

6. roll up dough like jelly roll 

7. Heat oven to 350 degree and bake for 25 minutes

8. Let cool, slice and serve

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Yield: 48 small bites, or 30 medium bites

3 cups shredded cooked chicken (About 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, skin discarded)

1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce (or more to your taste)

3 1/2 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 3/4 cups sharp or medium shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs, lightly beaten

3 – 4 cups Corn Flakes cereal, crushed

Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, mix the chicken, cream cheese and hot sauce until combined.  Stir in the cheddar cheese and green onions. Using a small cookie or ice cream scoop, spoon out the chicken mixture and roll into about 1 1/2 inch balls.  Place on a plate or separate baking sheet (not lined) until ready to dip. In three separate bowls, set out the flour, eggs and Corn Flakes.  Dip each chicken ball first into the flour, then the egg and ending with the Corn Flakes.  Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.  Serve warm with ranch or blue cheese dressing. (we left out the green onions) White Chocolate Christmas Pretzels 1 bag of pretzels 1 package of white chocolate almond bark holiday sprinkles 1. melt the almond bark carefully in a mixing bowl 2. put a handful of pretzels in bowl of melted chocolate 3. tap excess chocolate off pretzel using fork 4. place on wax paper 5. sprinkle holiday sprinkles on each 6. let cool 7. share and enjoy! Being newly married, I have enjoyed trying out new recipes... my husband Brett has been a great taste tester :) I hope you enjoy some I have shared. What are some our your favorite recipes? Care to share? Email me :) Brandi