more from the myspace archives

Sunday, November 04, 2007
if you like pumpkin & chocolate, you’ll wanna try this!
So, so fallish. . .it's the best pumpin chocolate chip bread recipe around. It's in the oven right now and the whole place smells yummy! Go make some right now. You won't be disappointed! ~wendy

3 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
3 c. sugar
4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
4 eggs
1 can (15 oz.) solid-pack pumpkin
2/3 c. water
2/3 c. vegetable oil
2 c. chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the 1st six ingredietnts. In another bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin, water & oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour into two greased 9 in. x 5 in. x 3 in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans to wire racks to cool completely. Wrap in foil and freeze for up to 3 months.

I make mine in 16 mini-loaves and bake 22-24 minutes or so.


Friday, November 02, 2007
daylight saving time reminder
It's been a while, hasn't it? I figured it was time for a general update. If you people would call me more often, I wouldn't have to go into such great detail in my blogs. Yes, that was a hint.

Well, school started off with a bang. I had 20 to begin with, then one girl moved up to 3rd grade. (For those of you with children, skipping a grade is not always the best idea, even if you are a mom of the highest calibur.) 12 lively boys and 7 chatty girls make for an interesting day. I have laughed a whole lot more with these kids than some of my past classes. I've also come home with many more tension headaches. I like the school a lot. The people I work with are wonderful, not to mention I get paid more, have better benefits, get more days off, have a shorter drive, and still have dress down Fridays!

Phil and I have been on the hunt for a house. I'm learning it's a long, complicated process. We just signed another 6 month lease for our apartment (although they ticked us off and raised our rent $84 a month. Yes, $84 a month.) We are leaning towards a townhouse as opposed to a single family home for a variety of reasons, but mainly because they're a lot less expensive. Housing out here is insane. We've hooked up with a realtor and have gone out looking with her 3 or 4 times. We've also stopped at lots and lots of open houses on Sundays after church and have a stack of those flyers we've picked up along that way that has probably caused the death of about 40 trees. We are hoping to buy something soon. And I'm praying for a miracle because that's what I think we're going to need.

Because I'm one who tends to get my hopes up easily and I've already mentally placed our furniture in several of the homes we looked at, I know God caused me to stumble across this verse ~ I Corinthians 7:17 (the Message) – "And don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there." I'm trying to do that, really I am. I'm living here. I'm obeying God here. I'm loving God and Phil here. And I'm believing here that God is going to give us a house.

I'm in the ladies' Sunday School class at church. Our class and the Bible study that meets on Thursdays is in week 3 of the Beth Moore study, "A Woman's Heart: God's ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Dwelling Place." Oh, it's good. Really, really good. That woman knows her stuff and she writes it in such a way that you can't help but get it. It's been refreshing and has made me evaluate a lot of things in my life. Everyone needs to evaluate once in a while. Know what I mean?

Phil is working at getting a men's Sunday School class going in January. He's been reading and studying a lot. I'm so proud of the way he's getting into it. He went with his friend Marty to a men's conference last weekend in Olympia hoping to get some good ideas and came home the grand prize winner. He won an ipod shuffle and a toolbox full of about $200 worth of books and study aids. He walked in the door and showed me the ipod and said, "See what I bought today." I looked at him and said, "You better not have." Then in walks Marty with this toolbox. We were giddy over the contents. They then proceeded to sing for me "I've Got a River of Life" complete with motions, but that's a whole other story for another day.

We have purchased our tickets!!! We're flying to Ohio for Christmas. I'm so psyched about it I can hardly stand it. I haven't been "home" for Christmas in 4 years. Yes, four because I was out here the Christmas before we got married. So, I'm all set to spoil my newest baby nephew, Keegan. My sister is insanely excited. I haven't seen her in a year and a half. We're planning a big family photo shoot – since it's been 9 years, 2 husbands, and 4 kids since we had our last one. We figured it's just about time. My friend Natalie is planning a big shin-dig at her house so I can catch up with all my friends. I just can't wait. We leave early on December 23rd and return January 1st (Phil) and 4th (me). I don't have to go back to school til January 7th, so I'm staying a few extra days.

So there you have it. My update. Remember to set your clocks back Saturday night. Don't miss out on that extra hour of sleep. That happened to me and my roommate Melissa once in college. We showed up for breakfast (a first ever for us) and realized that the cafeteria didn't open for another hour. I vowed then that it would NEVER happen again. So far, so good.