We Moved To Colorado!

Good bye, Virginia.

We did it! We moved from Virginia to Colorado the week before Christmas!

Hello, Colorado!

There are lots of stories and details and blessings that came from this cross country adventure. We are so happy to be in our new home.  And even happier that our neighbors have such an awesome Christmas light display.

Having neighbors like this was a huge selling point!

Raising our kids in Colorado has been our dream for many years. What dreams are you chasing down in 2013?

Nicholas Adam Sprovtsoff, Semper Fi

I was 11 the year you were born and I couldn't wait to meet my baby cousin. You guys came down to stay with us over 4th of July and you were so tiny we pulled a drawer out of the dresser to make you a crib.

When you joined the Marines we were so proud, you were tough and we knew it. I liked having someone in our own family fighting for our freedom and protection.


As the deployments came and went and through the multiple cross country moves and the schools and the training and the advancements to your career, the important things stayed the same.

Our son Noah with his Uncle Nicky, Thanksgiving 2007

You were tough but you had the sweetest soul. So easy to know and love. You cared about relationships and people.

When you met and married Tasha we were thrilled all that love was being poured into another sweet soul. She is strong and bright and full of grace and she understands Sprovtsoff love.

Nick with his sweet first born baby girl, Lanie

The night of my 40^th birthday we found out you weren't coming home.

The phone rang just before 2 a.m. and I sat straight up in bed. I heard my brother’s voice break and I knew something was coming, but not this. 

This was your fifth deployment and no matter how dangerous the mission, you always came home.



Afghanistan seemed so far away, but there we were just 8 days later gathered at Arlington National Cemetery. Tasha with her belly round and full of life, a baby boy coming soon.

The Caisson

It came as no surprise when I learned at your funeral you took the Iron Man Award at the Basic Reconnaissance Course. Of course, you did. You were tough.

And learning that the Bronze Star with "V" Device you earned in Afghanistan in 2007 should have been a Silver Star except for an administrative error, again no surprise for a valiant warrior.

Seasoned, mature, physically fit. MARSOC Marine.

I still have your cell phone number in my speed dial and the matching dresses the girls wore to your funeral still hang in their closet. It's been a year today, maybe it's time to let those go.

October 2009, we all met at my Dad's while Nick was at EOD school.

Thank you for your service, Nick. But most of all thank you for loving us well. I'm glad we don't have to let that go.

Tasha, Lanie and baby Nicholas Tank Summer 2012

For the Love of Carrots

It was 10 minutes before dinner and I wanted another veggie for our fancy hot dog and baked beans dinner. So I figured why not roasted carrots? We have one who can't quite chew raw carrots yet or I would have served carrot sticks and called it good.

Slice carrots; thinner is better, but it's not critical. {kind of like my waistline----->}



Drizzle with olive oil, S & P and mix with your hands to coat. And here's a little secret, instead of washing my hands after, I rub all that olive oil in like lotion and then just give them a quick rinse.
In the oven at 400 degrees until edges start to brown, which isn't long.



A half eaten dinner is kind of grody, but I was so busy eating I almost forgot the after pic!

These guys loved the roasted carrots. And true to kiddo form the next time I made them they didn't.

What's your go to side dish 10 minutes before dinner?

When Your Favorite T-Shirt Gets Bacon Neck

Transform a favorite t-shirt into a throw pillow.

You can't see it as well in this photo, but this t-shirt has been pulled on by a toddler one too many times and the neck is all wrinkly.

This was one of the original Mercy House Kenya t-shirts and I love what it says, and what Kristen and Terrell have allowed God to do in their lives through opening a maternity home.

 
So, just grab some sidewalk chalk and a box lid to draw a template (hey, it was within arms reach and it works).  Sew right sides together on three sides. Slide your pillow form in and realize you are a little short. Cut the bottom off the shirt, which is already hemmed (yay!) and add a quick ruffle to extend the length (no pinning, just fold every few inches and shove through your machine).

 

There you go, your favorite t-shirt is now your favorite pillow.

Three Handy Things For My Summer Kitchen

I try my best to avoid getting sucked in by the siren that is Pinterest. There are so many lovely, handy and interesting pins.  A girl could get lost for days!

Here are a few of my favorites I've been using this summer.

1.  Growing green onions in water from The Burlap Bag.

Wild and crazy

This will keep your salads, quesadillas, eggs, and such.very happy. Mine sit next to the sink, not near a window and do fine for weeks. I just change the water every few days. That's it.

After a trim

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2.  Cooking corn on the cob in the oven from Riches to Rags

Sisters

When my friend Caroline pinned this I thought "how is it possible I grew up in Indiana and I don't know this method?!" Well, let me tell you it's the only way I cook corn now. Throw it in the oven with the husks still on at 350 for 30 minutes. The husks slide right off and the corn is juicy and delicious. Done.



3.  Cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker from good (CHEAP) eats

Throwing the whole bird in the Crock Pot means I hardly have to touch or think about touching raw chicken. This makes me happier than it should. And the chicken comes out perfectly. No more dry chicken, ever. (Or wire hangers. Name that movie.)

Have you found any winning ideas on Pinterest lately?

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